Hope Is A Waking Dream
by scifi-karis
Summary: This is a tag to pilgrim soul's story, "No Distance Left To Run." Sheppard is not dead, but has been captured by the enemy. Trapped on a world in which he cannot escape and knowing his team believes he is dead, Sheppard is on the run with no team, no backup, and no chance of rescue. Shep whump. Please read "No Distance Left To Run" by pilgrim soul first!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is a tag to pilgrim_soul's story, "No Distance Left To Run." It was a brilliant deathfic, but she did mention that if anyone wanted to give it another ending to go ahead ... so here is my version. I would suggest you read her story first so you understand everything that has transpired.

* * *

_The three of them staggered toward the gate, guns at their backs, hands grasping and dragging when their legs couldn't keep up the pace. They'd cut Rodney's bonds but left Teyla and Ronon's hands bound. Clearly they didn't think he'd be a threat and they were right. The way he felt now he doubted he could better Zelenka in a fight._

"_What's happening?" Rodney asked._

"_Like I said," the leader of their escort explained. "You're going home. Your boss and my boss came to an agreement."_

"_What kind of agreement?"_

"_One that got us what we wanted." He kicked out at Rodney's legs. "Now shut up and walk."_

_Rodney knew now that they walked the three of them past the market place on purpose, one last kick in the ribs, letting them know at what price their freedom had been brought. Ronon had bellowed like a wild animal at the sight of Sheppard standing in the market place. Rodney's voice had stuck in his throat. Sheppard glanced toward them across the open ground, too far away for Rodney to see the expression on his face. _

_Ronon screamed and kicked out, Teyla struggled against her bonds, even Rodney struggled in the increased grip of his captors, not wanting to turn away from Sheppard, not wanting to leave him behind. They were pushed into the avenue of trees that led down to the gate and Rodney twisted, briefly escaping his guards grip. Falling to the dust, he looked up in despair to see Sheppard watching them leave. All too quickly hands grabbed him again and the last sight he saw was Sheppard being pushed to his knees in front of the commander._

_The rest of the walk to the gate was dream-like, his body simply couldn't struggle anymore and his brain, the only real weapon he had, grasped helplessly at vague ideas that refused to take the shape of any kind of plan. _

_He was thrown at the DHD and told to dial; he punched in the alpha site's address as though running on autopilot. Surely Sheppard had a plan. The wormhole burst out of the ring and settled back into a shimmering event horizon. The guards pushed, prodded and kicked their reluctant hostages toward the gate, toward freedom, and the last thing Rodney heard before he stepped through the gate was a single gunshot._

* * *

"You got what you wanted. You get my team, and you get them out of here. Alive and unharmed."

Sheppard's jaw worked against the strain of the words as he glared daggers at the commander of the Genii. The man had called himself Jenar.

The commander grinned slyly. "You don't mince words, do you Colonel Sheppard?"

Sheppard was aware of the four men behind him and the three in front of him. They had patted him down and took all his weapons and he was feeling naked without the weight of his guns. He held his hands stiffly, away from his sides, ready for a fight if need be.

"I'm a man of my word, Colonel," Jenar continued. He glanced to his right and Sheppard saw Teyla, Ronon and Rodney being manhandled towards the gate. Ronon and Teyla had their hands bound behind them, and Rodney was stumbling as the men holding him carried him forward. Sheppard heard Ronon bellow and lash out at his captors, and Teyla and Rodney renewed their struggles when they saw him standing in front of the commander.

"Take a good long look, Colonel," the man said. "It's the last you're going to see of them."

Sheppard heard boot steps behind him and he was roughly shoved to his knees in front of Jenar. He couldn't take his eyes off his team, however, as they were shoved through the trees towards the gate. Rodney was forced to dial and Ronon and Teyla were shoved forwards as the wormhole unfurled.

The commander pulled out his gun, leveling it at Sheppard's head. Sheppard knew this was it. No turning back now. He glared at the Genii, knowing in his heart the man had been true to his word as he saw his teammates shoved forwards towards the glowing wormhole.

Jenar pulled back the safety on the gun. Sheppard's universe exploded in white light as the commander fired.

* * *

Jenar watched as Sheppard's head snapped back, his body hitting the ground with enough force to make Jenar wince. Blood immediately began to pool beneath the man's head from the gash the bullet wound left along his temple.

Jenar knelt next to him, peeling back his eyelids and checking his vitals.

"We need to move fast," he said to Koti and Hal. "We don't move him until we've packed up. I want there to be a good amount of blood on the ground before we leave. Discourage anyone from following. Pack up. I want us out of here in five minutes."

His men moved into action, quick and efficient. The guard posted at the Stargate had already dialed through to their next destination to keep Sheppard's team from trying to dial back, and Jenar was ready to do some gate hopping to keep the Atlanteans from following.

Koti wrapped a bandage around Sheppard's head then helped hoist the man's limp body over Hal's shoulder as the men raced for the gate. Jenar erased the evidence of their flight to the gate and took one last look at their surroundings. The pool of blood in the middle of the clearing was obvious. Head wounds were nasty and did bleed a lot. Enough to make the Atlanteans think twice about following and hopefully enough to make them believe that Sheppard was dead. Jenar made sure that McKay had heard the gunshot and possibly had even seen Sheppard fall to the ground. If so, that was enough. If they believed their commanding officer dead, it would only help cover their tracks as they escaped.

He grinned and entered the wormhole.


	2. Chapter 2

Sheppard felt every heart beat as throbbing pain in his skull as he tried to open his eyes. The small pinpricks of light above him spun and made him sick. He squeezed his eyes shut and heard a low moan, then realized a few seconds later that the sound came from him. His limbs felt heavy and every part of him ached. Voices came from nearby, a low murmur.

For the life of him, Sheppard couldn't piece together what had happened. He moved his hand to touch his head, trying to find the source of the pain. His fingers brushed a hastily wrapped cloth bandaged tightly around his forehead. It was sticky and wet on the left side of his head and he opened his eyes again to find his fingers swimming in his vision, covered in dark blood. As he looked at his fingers, trying to remember why he had a head wound, a voice came from his right.

"You're awake."

He squeezed his eyes shut again, the few seconds they were open enough to make his stomach start to rebel. Swallowing, he attempting to wet his throat enough to speak.

"Where am I?"

"None of your business."

Sheppard tried opening his eyes again, realizing it was nighttime, and the pinpricks of light he had seen earlier were stars shining through a canopy of trees. He was lying on the ground at the base of a large tree, with leaves crackling beneath him when he moved. A flickering campfire was lit about twenty feet to his right, and he turned his head gingerly, trying to find out who was next to him.

A man was crouched a few feet away from him, far enough away that if Sheppard were working at full capacity, he would have had time to jump to his feet to counterattack. The pilot had to search a moment to find the name.

"Jenar."

The man grinned. "You remember. I was hoping that head wound wasn't going to mess you up."

Sheppard groaned involuntarily as another massive spike of pain was sent throbbing through his head. He did a mental assessment, realizing he had been stripped of his jacket and tac vest, leaving him with only his pants, t-shirt and boots. Nothing to fight with. His boots were looser so he suspected they had found the knife he had hidden there as well.

"You've been unconscious for three days. You need to drink something."

Sheppard realized he was thinking too slowly as it took a few moments for him to process Jenar's words. Dehydration, concussion. That would do it.

Jenar suddenly appeared above him with a canteen in hand. He held it to Sheppard's lips and the pilot suddenly realized how thirsty he really was as he sucked at the bottle. The water tasted earthy and sweet - the best water Sheppard had ever tasted. Jenar pulled it away after only a few gulps.

"You drink anymore and you're going to puke it right back up," Jenar said.

Sheppard knew he was right when his stomach roiled. He swallowed, trying to keep the bile down.

"You need to stay awake now," Jenar continued. "We couldn't wake you up. Got no response. We need to make sure the damage isn't too severe."

Sheppard was feeling very confused. "Why are you doing this?"

Jenar paused and looked down at him. "You thought we were going to kill you back there, didn't you?" He looked back at his men by the fire. "I was going to kill you. I was going to kill that woman on your team if you hadn't surrendered. You're pretty valuable to the Genii. I could hand you over to anyone and get quite a prize for it. After I saw you in action that day, though, I had a better idea." As he spoke, he pulled a length of rope from his belt, grabbing Sheppard's forearm and roughly pulling him to a sitting position. The move left Sheppard feeling disorientated and he found himself unable to fight back when the man pulled his arms behind his back and swiftly tied his wrists together, lashing the rope up his forearms as well.

"You know the Wraith have runners. I'm sure you've heard of them," Jenar continued.

Sheppard bristled, wondering where this was leading.

"What you might not know is that my faction of the Genii are the top soldiers. We do the hardest and longest training before promoting men to the field. We have no women in our group. Too tough for them. I think it's time we had our own runner. Only difference is, I'm not putting a tracking device in you."

"You've got to be kidding me," Sheppard growled.

"I'm deadly serious," Jenar responded.

"My team will come for me."

Jenar looked at him, a small smile touching his lips. "No. They won't. We made sure of that." He pushed himself to his feet, his face hidden in shadow. "Your team thinks you are dead. I shot you in the head, Sheppard. McKay saw everything and I'm sure your team heard everything before we sent them through the gate. I may have only grazed your skull, but they don't know that. No one is coming for you."

He turned and joined his men at the fire, leaving Sheppard sitting still against the tree, his insides frozen at the man's words. If what Jenar said was true, he had no hope of rescue.

Sheppard retched, turning to the side in time to vomit up the bile that had been burning in his throat. Tears of pain were streaming down his face by the time the uncontrollable spasms relented and he slumped, exhausted, against the tree. He leaned his bandaged head against the rough bark, looking at the stars overhead. They were unfamiliar, and he had no idea what planet he was on, nor any idea if there was a Stargate on this planet. He steeled himself to the fact that he would have to rescue himself this time around.


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for the reviews so far! I'm enjoying reading them! Just a note that I have finished the story and only start publishing once it is finished, however, as I post I will edit, and perhaps your thoughts or suggestions might make things a little different in the end! I have been known to change stories based on the comments I receive at times, so if you have any suggestions, please do write! I hope you continue to enjoy the story ..._

* * *

Sheppard woke before dawn, watching his breath mist in the cool air above his head as the stars disappeared into the lightening sky. At least two of Jenar's men had been up all night, keeping watch over their prisoner and the camp. Sheppard had woken a few times in the night, looking for an opportunity to escape. With the constant guard he had no chance. The ropes had been tied well and he was unable to free his hands. As Jenar and his men woke and started moving about the camp, packing their belongings and cooking breakfast, Sheppard braced himself for what he guessed was to come.

Jenar brought him a bowl of something that looked like oatmeal, slicing his bonds and handing him the bowl to eat as the Genii drew his gun. He held the gun loosely, but again crouched far enough away from Sheppard that he was out of arm's reach. The pilot was sure he was still in no shape to be attacking anyone, however, as his head reeled with any fast movement. As hungry as he was, his stomach still felt nauseous. He forced the bowl of food down, knowing that he needed the energy after three days with no food or water. The food was plain but nourishing, and Sheppard felt as though his stomach seemed to settle more now that it had something in it.

Another man approached and held a gun on Sheppard when he finished, and Jenar motioned for him to stand. Sheppard was slightly embarrassed at how long it took him to find his feet, and he had to steady himself against the tree trunk when he swayed, his equilibrium off.

Jenar pulled his hands behind his back, tying them tightly before pushing him over to a vehicle that Sheppard had noticed earlier. It was a large box-like structure with an open top and had no wheels. A bench lined both sides of the back, and Sheppard watched as someone powered up the vehicle, causing it to lift off of the ground. A hovercraft. McKay would have loved to take a look at it, he knew. He briefly wondered if it was Genii technology or if they had stolen it from someone.

Jenar shoved him roughly into the back of the vehicle, pushing him down onto one of the benches as four other men piled in, their guns trained warily on the pilot. Jenar jumped into the front seat with the driver.

The vehicle took off at a high speed through the trees, leaving the rest of the group behind. Sheppard had counted around 34 men during the night and wondered if there were more. Why only a small group was taking him away, he could only imagine.

They traveled through the better part of the day through what appeared to be mostly a wooded and uninhabited area of the planet. The sun had shone for most of the day and the air had the smell of spring to it. The cool air of the night had turned into a pleasant warmth as the day progressed, but Sheppard had no opportunity to enjoy it as he mulled over what Jenar was going to do with him and tried to stay aware of his surroundings so that he could make his way back to the camp if need be.

When they stopped in the late afternoon, Jenar jumped out of the vehicle, coming to the back and pulling Sheppard down from the bench to the ground. He cut the ropes binding his wrists and quickly stepped away, drawing his gun.

"The rules are simple," he drawled. "You run, we hunt. If we find you, I'm not responsible for what my men might do. It'd be nice to keep you alive for a while. I think you're worth it. But my men have been told to take you down using any means necessary. Keep that in mind. This planet is a tough one to survive on. The gravity is heavier than most and the air is thinner. We chose it for that, so if you're fit, you'll be fine."

Sheppard rubbed at his wrists. "You gonna give me a head start at least?"

Jenar grinned. "You think I won't play fair? You've got one night. From dawn, the hunt begins." He swung back up onto the vehicle as it turned back the way they had come. "Oh, and Sheppard, don't make it easy on us. We catch you in the first 24 hours and you're dead for sure."

The vehicle disappeared through the trees with a high pitched whine. Sheppard stood still for a moment, watching them as long as he could until they faded into the distance.

His situation was desperate. He had no idea if there was a Stargate on the planet and if there was a ship or another way off. If he kept going in the opposite direction from where they had dropped him off, he might possibly be moving further away from a source of help or escape. The vehicle they had been traveling in was fast, and he knew it would take him at least the better part of four days to make it back to the campsite on foot.

In the end, he struck off at a 90 degree angle from where they had come from, laying as many false trails as he could before heading back the other way several hours later as dusk fell. As he worked, he formed a plan.

When you were being hunted, the best thing to do was always have a goal in mind, and it wasn't just to get away. He needed information.

Exhausted, he pushed hard, recalling his Black Ops training as he worked eastwards, leaving no sign of his passing. His head pounded with every step. He noticed the thin air and heavier gravity as soon as he had begun moving. His lungs felt shredded after a few hours of movement and he sweated profusely at the extra effort. As the sun finally disappeared behind the trees, the air cooled considerably, and Sheppard shivered as he walked, realizing that not only did he have to find water soon, he was also going to need to find a source of warmth, and it couldn't be a fire.

Who knew if Jenar was telling the truth and the hunt would start at dawn? His men could be tracking him now, and the thought made Sheppard press on through the darkness, keeping an eye on the sky through the trees so that he would stay in the right direction. This world had three moons, two very tiny and one about the size of Earth's. It was a reminder that he wasn't home and could be anywhere in the Pegasus Galaxy at this point.

After moving for several hours through the moonlit night, Sheppard was exhausted. He still had found no source of water but knew that he needed to rest. The ground was not an option, so after finding a suitable tree, he climbed up until he found a nook that he could nestle his body into safely without falling when he slept. It wasn't the most comfortable option, but he was glad that this area was forested. It was always easier to hide in a forest. The bushes on the ground were too sparse to make a good hiding place, and he was sure that Jenar's men most likely wouldn't think of looking up for their prey.

Making sure he was securely hidden behind the branches of the tree, Sheppard closed his tired eyes and slept, thankful that he didn't snore.


	4. Chapter 4

Morning came too soon. Sheppard was surprised at how tired he had been, sleeping straight through what was left of the night until the birds woke him in the morning. The air was chilly, and he knew that besides finding water, he was going to have to find a better shelter or source of warmth. He wasn't sure if the cool air meant that the planet had just come out of winter or if they were heading into autumn. It was hard to tell by the state of the trees as they all seemed to be relations to pine trees.

He sat still for a long while, watching the sun rise behind the treetops and listening to the birds. His senses were on full alert, listening for sounds of pursuit. He knew that a forest that sounded natural didn't mean that an enemy lay in wait somewhere. He himself had been trained to stay absolutely still for long periods of time, training as a sharpshooter in the Black Ops before finding his niche as a pilot. As much as Rodney liked to make fun of him for not staying still, he knew when it was appropriate. Running for your life seemed to fit the bill.

The birds continued on, singing freely as the sun climbed higher. Sheppard still was not sure if Jenar had followed his word. If so, there was a good chance he was wasting time here.

He listened and watched the ground below for another half hour before finally deciding to make his move.

Climbing swiftly and silently down from the tree, he leapt lightly to the ground and began moving, making sure he left no trail. The movement jarred his head and the headache returned in full force. He continued eastwards, moving towards the sun and hoping that he would find water soon. His head hurt worse than before, and he was starting to believe it wasn't just the concussion affecting him. Dehydration was starting to set in as well.

All the while, he kept his senses attuned to the sounds around him. He moved naturally enough that the birds didn't seem disturbed, continuing their morning-song above him. That worried him. If Jenar's men were capable of moving as well as he, that meant the birds would be of no help to him. He had to listen more carefully.

It was another two hours before the trees started thinning and he heard the sound of rushing water. His mouth had gone dry ages ago, and the cotton feeling was making him feel desperate for water. The headache had constricted his world to pain and it was hard not to think of anything else after a while.

He forced himself to move more slowly and cautiously as he approached the sound of water, knowing that here his chances were higher of being ambushed. After a few moments, he could finally see beyond the trees a rushing stream littered with large boulders and rocks that would make excellent cover.

After spending several minutes surveying the area around the stream from the trees, he flitted cautiously over to a large boulder at the edge of the water, using it for cover as he knelt and looked at the clear water of the stream. He could not see anything wrong with the water and when he dipped his hand in it, he found it to be ice cold, probably running straight from a mountain's ice cap. That discovery led him to believe that most likely the planet was moving from spring to summer. There were various animal tracks in the mud near the shore, which also meant the water was most likely safe to drink.

After a moment's hesitation, he cupped his hands and drank, wishing he had a canteen. If Jenar's men ever caught up with him, he knew what he would be looking for if he had to confront them. A weapon, a coat and a canteen.

At that moment, the birds went silent in the forest and strange calls began echoing through the trees. Calls of alarm from the animals.

Without hesitating, Sheppard plunged into the icy stream, sucking in a breath at the coldness of the water and staying behind the boulder as he peered beyond it towards the trees. Anyone looking for him would have trouble spotting him where he was. He glanced downstream, realizing the stream was deep enough that if he had to, he could easily swim down it, using the boulders for cover.

He was surprised when a group of dogs trotted out of the forest, sniffing around the edge of the trees before moving closer to the stream. They were grey and tan, with long, shaggy fur and pointed ears. Sheppard wondered for a moment if they were Jenar's - tracking dogs sent to find him.

He stayed in the stream, crouching lower, feeling his legs grow numb and hoping the dogs would leave.

The largest dog trotted to the edge of the stream about one hundred meters upstream from Sheppard, lapping thirstily at the water. The other dogs followed suite. After filling their bellies, the dogs moved further upstream, tails waving until they disappeared behind the rocks.

A few moments later, four men emerged from the forest, following the dogs. They walked to the edge of the stream and Sheppard crouched down, praying they wouldn't see him. They were definitely Genii as all of them carried guns and were dressed in the drab browns of the unit that had captured him. They walked along the edge of the stream towards his hiding place, carefully checking the ground. One man got within five meters of Sheppard's hiding place before doubling back.

The men were all silent. No conversation passed between them. After another look around the area, they headed upstream after the dogs. Slowly, the birds' song returned to normal.

Sheppard decided he needed to be careful. Although the dogs looked wild, he could not be too careful. If they were operating under the Genii's command, he could not trust men or animals.

Moving further into the water, he sloshed downstream, the water up to his waist. He moved carefully from boulder to boulder, making sure that wherever he was he had cover from the trees on either side. At a few points, the water deepened and he was forced to let the current carry him for several meters. By the time he exited the water at high noon, he was soaking wet and his fingers had turned blue from the cold. His teeth were chattering uncontrollably and he knew he needed to get dry before heading any further.

Finding a strategic hiding place behind several boulders, he stripped his pants, boots and t-shirt off, laying them on the warm rocks around him and hoping the sun would dry them quickly. He considered taking his boxers off as well but decided he really didn't want to be buck-naked if something happened. He sat in a warm patch of sunshine in a pocket of boulders, entirely hidden from the treeline. Watching the sun overhead, he gave it an hour before putting his damp - but now considerably drier - clothes back on. His boots would need more time, but time was not on his side.

Again, carefully watching the treeline, he headed east across a shallow part of the stream towards the trees, feeling safer when he was back under their cover. His boots squished under each step and the sound made him feel extremely vulnerable. Moving slower than he would have liked due to the noise, he found the thickest part of the forest he could and watched his trail, making sure to leave no sign behind him of his passing.

His stomach growled angrily at him as he walked, and though his thirst was satisfied he now longed for some solid food. He had been watching the plant life around him, looking for anything that looked edible. If he managed to trap and kill an animal to eat then he knew he would have to eat it raw. Making a fire was out of the question at this point. He had no idea where Jenar's men were and once he had better intel he might be able to plan around how to make a fire later. It was possible to make fires that emitted very little smoke, but the time and effort it took to make one without matches and find the right kindling would be time wasted.

Keeping an eye on the forest around him, Sheppard saw a rodent-like creature eating from a plant nearly an hour after leaving the stream. It bounded away when he appeared, and he immediately approached the spot the creature had been standing in, hoping to find something edible.

The creature had been eating from a low growing plant that had nuts growing under the thick leaves. If an animal was able to eat something, there was a good bet that it was edible for humans as well. Swiftly picking a handful of the nuts, Sheppard hid under the low branches of a nearby tree and nibbled on one of the nuts, waiting several minutes before deciding that it most likely wasn't poisonous and devouring the handful he had picked. The nuts were extremely tasty, reminding Sheppard of pistachios. He picked as many as he could find in the bushes around him, filling his pockets before moving on.

He passed the day treading through the thick forest, finding that he was gradually moving uphill and realizing that the air was thinner as his lungs labored harder. He wondered what altitude he was at as he emerged from the tree line on the edge of a long cliff, stretching in either direction in a jagged line as far as he could see over a deep valley. The view was breathtaking, with the cliffs towering over the valley over 500 meters in some places. Trees covered the valley and the cliff line, all straight and tall pines. He wondered if they were any relation to the white pines of Michigan which were logged to near extinction in the 1800's.

At various intervals he could see silver lines of water in the valley below, and also small waterfalls cascading down the cliff face. It was a good sign indeed, for he was hoping there would be more water sources than the stream that he had left half a day ago. Turning northeast, he followed the cliff's edge, looking for a potential way down into the valley, staying inside the tree line and listening to the wildlife around him for any indication he was being followed. He nibbled at the nuts in his pockets at regular intervals, finding several more bushes of them on his way and keeping his pockets full. He found another smaller stream just before nightfall, its clear waters trickling over smooth stones. He drank his fill and kept moving, his eyes adjusting to the darkness as the sun descended behind the cliffs and the three moons rose.

It was another clear night, and Sheppard shivered at the cold air, wondering how he would stay warm tonight. Last night he had been too exhausted to register the cold, but tonight he was sure he would have trouble sleeping.

He walked silently for a few more hours through the darkness, the buzz of insects and strange calls of the night animals keeping him company. After the largest moon had risen high in the sky, he found a tree and started to climb. He found a suitable nook and broke some of the thick pine branches from above him, arranging them between the branches to make a sort of mattress, hoping it would keep him warmer than the last night. The branches were flexible and he was thankful they were not dry. The smallest noise might be the death of him if he wasn't careful.

Nestling down into the soft branches, Sheppard shivered but realized that it wasn't quite as cold as it had been the night before. Exhausted, he closed his eyes and slept, realizing that for over 24 hours, he had not spoken a single word.

* * *

_Author's Note: Apologies for the delay in posting. I'm a musician and I've had some major rehearsals and concerts this week. Thank you so much for the reviews so far! I'm glad you are enjoying the story. This chapter was a bit longer than the others, and maybe not as exciting, but it's setting the stage for more excitement and whump coming up ... :-)_


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: My deepest apologies for not updating the story these past few days! I've been traveling in a very remote part of the country with no internet and since the last chapter didn't have too much of a cliffie I thought you might be able to cope ... :-) Hope you continue to enjoy the story!_

* * *

Waking up in the early dawn hours, Sheppard shivered with cold and watched his breath mist in the cool air, listening to the forest come alive around him. He was just about to move from his tree nest when he heard an unusual sound from one of the birds that had been quite consistent in it's regular call the past day. Moving slowly and sitting up against the trunk of the tree, Sheppard peered through the branches, searching the forest around him for anything out of place.

And then he saw it. A tuft of blonde hair as a man moved slowly through the trees heading east. The man had a gun nestled in his arms and a pack slung over his shoulder. Sheppard watched for a few moments, waiting to see if anyone else was with him, then silently swung down through the branches of the tree, feeling his muscles stiffen in protest at the movement.

Landing lightly on the needle covered ground in heavy gravity was no easy feat. Sheppard kept his eyes on the man several meters in front of him and checked out his surroundings again, making doubly sure that they were alone before moving closer to him.

He was dressed in the drab brown leather and cloth of the Genii soldiers who had captured him, so Sheppard was sure he wasn't a native.

Moving closer, Sheppard made his move before the man could sense his presence, jumping forward and jabbing the man with a quick fist in the kidneys before he could call out. He had learned as a young man in the Black Ops that a blow to the kidneys is so painful you can't even scream, so it was usually the best place to aim for when you were unarmed. The man went down without a sound and Sheppard wrestled him silently to his back, grabbing the gun and pressing it against the man's temple as he knelt above him.

"Where are the others?" he whispered.

The man shook his head, his eyes hardening.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," Sheppard said. He tore a piece of cloth from the man's shirt and stuffed it in his mouth. Keeping a firm grip on the gun against the man's head, he grabbed one of the man's fingers and twisted, hearing a brutal snap as the bone broke. The man's scream was muffled by the improvised gag.

"How many are you?" Sheppard hissed, pulling the wad of cloth from the man's mouth. The Genii's eyes were watering with pain and he shook his head again.

Sheppard grabbed the broken hand to break another finger and the man gasped, "Stop! There ... there are over a hundred of us."

Sheppard hid his shock well, narrowing his eyes to study the man. "All hunting me?"

The man nodded. "All of them." He chuckled. "You won't escape."

"Where's the Stargate?"

The man grinned maniacally. "There isn't one."

"How did you get here then?"

"None of your business."

Sheppard sat back on his heels. "Fine." With one swift move, he slammed the butt of the gun against the side of the man's head, rendering him unconscious.

It took several minutes for Sheppard to pat the man down, searching his bag and pockets for anything of use. He found a blanket, knife, canteen and a few packets of food in the man's bag, and he also wrestled the man out of his leather coat before using a length of rope that he found to tie the man securely to a tree, stuffing the gag back in his mouth before moving on, venturing deeper into the forest and away from the cliff that surrounded the valley.

He felt much more equipped, carrying the bag with food and water, the knife shoved into his belt and the Genii gun slung over his shoulder. He wouldn't freeze at night with the leather coat and blanket now. Things were starting to look up.

That's when he heard the single gunshot behind him.

* * *

Jenar hadn't placed a tracker in Sheppard to make the hunt more challenging, but he had placed trackers on his men to make sure they continued moving. One of the men not far to the north of him had stopped and hadn't moved for the past twenty minutes. As it was daylight and most of the other dots on the screen were moving, Jenar's sixth sense went off.

Moving quickly, he found the man bound and gagged beneath a tree, fuming with rage. He pulled the gag from the man's mouth, noting the swollen and purple fingers on his right hand.

"Who did this to you?" he asked.

"Sheppard," the man spat.

Jenar leaned back. "You know the rules."

The man's eyes widened in fear. "Please, I'll catch him next time."

Jenar stood, pulled his gun from his belt and fired. The man fell limply back against the tree, eyes wide and unseeing.

Jenar's second in command, Koti, appeared silently at his side. "That was quick."

"He's close," Jenar said. "Contact the base, tell them Garret's family is to be taken care of."

"Sir —"

"He has failed, Koti. The rules apply to everyone, regardless of their circumstances."

"Yes sir."

Jenar strode into the trees. "Sheppard's close. We're going to catch him."

* * *

Sheppard wasn't sure what the single gunshot meant, but he knew that it occurred somewhere around where he had tied the Genii soldier up. He broke into an immediate run at the retort, keeping his feet light and silent as he fled through the trees.

Eyes and ears alert, he ran at a swift pace until his lungs could take no more. Chest heaving for breath, he collapsed under the large roots of a tree, hiding behind the vegetation around him and sure that no one could hear or see him. The gravity and thinner air on this planet was taking some getting used to, and his muscles were screaming in protest.

Taking a few moments to catch his breath, he nearly missed the man moving silently through the trees 20 meters parallel to him, gun drawn and eyes searching the underbrush. Checking the area around him, Sheppard saw another man to the other side of him, about 100 meters away.

Knowing that eventually they would flush him out, Sheppard decided to make the first move. Leaving his bag, he slung the gun onto his back, moving swiftly and silently through the trees to the man closest to him. Coming up behind the man, he swiftly wrapped his forearm around the man's neck, squeezing to cut off the man's blood supply as he flailed uselessly under Sheppard's grip. Within seconds, the man dropped. Sheppard knew he wouldn't be out long, but he took the man's knife and gun, using the rope he found in the man's bag to tie him hand and foot and improvising a gag from a strip of cloth.

Moving swiftly to take care of the man, Sheppard nearly missed the rustle of leaves behind him and whirled, gun raised, to find the second man had approached without making a sound.

The two soldiers had a silent standoff.

"You gonna shoot me?" Sheppard finally growled.

"Thinking about it," the man replied, his finger tightening on the trigger.

"I'd rather you didn't."

"If I have to, I will. Put your gun down."

"You put yours down first."

Sheppard moved swiftly, knocking the gun to the side as it went off, watching for the telltale sign of the tightening of the man's finger before he pulled the trigger. He and Sheppard went down in a kicking, punching sprawl. A swift left hook caught Sheppard above his eye and his vision went double with pain as the man latched onto his throat. Desperate, he pulled the knife from his belt, slicing at the man's arm.

With a hoarse cry, the man drew back and Sheppard slammed the butt of the knife into the side of the man's head. Falling back, the man's eyes rolled back in his head as he went limp. Sheppard grabbed the man's gun, and took off into the forest, knowing that more hunters would not be far behind after hearing the gunshot go off.

His lungs and leg muscles screaming from effort, Sheppard came out on the edge of the forest, staggering to the edge of the cliff surrounding the valley and taking a good look at the guns that were weighing him down. Figuring out how the guns worked was easy as they were an older relation to Earth guns. He emptied two of the guns' cartridges, placing the ammo in the bag he was carrying and tossing the empty guns over the cliff. Feeling much lighter, he took off along the edge of the cliff, looking for a way down.

Behind him, he heard a gunshot, then seconds later, another one. Not having time to wonder at what they meant, he pressed on, keeping to the edge of the trees before seeing a small stream running to the edge of the cliff. He clambered along the rocks lining the overhang and found some footholds where the water fell down the cliff in a small waterfall. He felt utterly exposed climbing down the cliff face, but knew he needed to change the hunting grounds. The Genii were catching up. Hoping the water would erase his descent, Sheppard climbed down as swiftly as he dared, not looking at the treetops over 100 feet below him.

A half hour later, he had reached the bottom, covered in sweat and muscles aching from the strain. He looked up through the trees above him at the cliff face, then pressed on, moving deeper into the thick forest of the valley. He could feel the terrain heading downwards and knew he was heading deeper into the thick valley. Hoping the descent would deter the hunters, he moved as quickly as he dared, trying not to disturb the vegetation around him.

He didn't encounter anymore Genii for the rest of the day. Keeping on the move until it grew too dark to see properly, Sheppard climbed a tree to sleep for the night. Nestling in the branches with his newly acquired coat and blanket, he slept much better than he had since arriving on the planet.


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, after a breakfast of nuts and one of the packets of dry food he had stolen, Sheppard moved on, keeping low and quiet. He encountered another pack of dogs who steered clear of him, shying away when their leader yipped a warning. He was glad the dogs seemed shy as he had wondered if they were under Genii command. He saw few other animals. There were a few birds and small rodents but large wildlife seemed to be missing.

Sheppard knew he was going to have to hunt the animals before long. He couldn't live on nuts and the packets of food forever, and his body was craving a real meal. He had been missing nearly a week and he was already notching his belt a little tighter than normal.

The day passed uneventfully and he encountered no hunters. He slept well that night.

The gunshot at dawn woke him with a start.

Staying very still, he listened and watched the forest floor beneath him. Another gunshot sounded, closer this time. He guessed whoever had the gun was around half a click away and wondered what the gunfire was about.

Slipping quietly down from his tree, he crept through the trees, staying low and watching out for unnatural movement. It didn't take long before the ambush.

He barely had a chance to react as a rush of movement to his left caught him by surprise and a man burst out of the leaves beneath him, catching his leg and twisting, causing them both to go sprawling to the ground. Another man came running from Sheppard's right, and he didn't have time to acknowledge the second hunter's presence as he fought to keep the first man off of him. The man landed a solid punch to Sheppard's jaw, leaving him reeling as he was pinned to the ground by the larger man's weight. The man grabbed his wrists and sat heavily on Sheppard's hips, keeping him in place.

"Finally!" the second hunter exclaimed. "I don't know how no one's been able to find him."

"Shut up and help me tie him up," the first man snarled.

The second man had managed to loop one end of rope around Sheppard's right wrist when he finally managed to gather his wits enough to headbutt the man on top of him, surprising both men as he scrambled out from underneath the first hunter. The man was holding his face, blood streaming from his nose.

Sheppard didn't waste any time, grabbing the stunned man's head and cracking it down on his knee. The man slumped limply to the ground as the other man attacked, tackling the pilot to the ground with enough force to drive the air out of Sheppard's lungs. He didn't have a chance to let his body recover as the man on top of him swung wildly at his head with heavy fists. Sheppard saw stars before he managed to land a right hook on the man's jaw and pushed at the heavier man's bulk with his knees in an attempt to get him off of his chest.

Too late, he saw the flash of a blade and barely managed to deflect the weapon, remembering the butterfly hold and twist that had been drilled into him from the age of 12. The man on top of him grunted as his weight was thrown to the side, and Sheppard used the momentum to push the man off of him. A flash of red-hot pain caught him in the left side as he tried to jump to his feet and Sheppard couldn't help but cry out in surprised pain. He saw the hunter wielding the knife as he fell to his knees, sudden weakness making him dizzy with pain.

"You're not getting away," the man gasped as he rolled to his feet.

"You gonna kill me then?" Sheppard replied, finding it hard to breathe as he pressed his hand against his side, feeling hot blood trickling between his fingers.

"If you make me, I will."

Sheppard pushed himself painfully to his feet, the wound in his side throbbing and his vision starting to grey. By sheer force of will he pushed back unconsciousness, wondering how deep the wound was for it to affect him so quickly. The hunter in front of him doubled and tripled before steadying into one image and Sheppard blinked rapidly, mentally forcing himself to focus on the danger in front of him.

The man moved closer, brandishing his knife as the wounded pilot held out his free hand in a pathetic attempt to ward off the danger. The hunter reached for the forgotten rope at his feet and Sheppard used the momentary distraction to rush the man, taking both of them gracelessly to the ground as he wrestled for the knife in a sudden burst of adrenaline. The hunter was desperate, but Sheppard knew the stakes were high. Wrenching the knife from the man's hands he slammed the blade once, then twice into the hunter's neck before the man went still, blood pouring from the wounds. There was an unsettling death rattle as the man made a gurgling noise deep in his throat before closing his eyes.

Panting, Sheppard crawled off of the body, looking down at his side. The t-shirt was slick with blood and it was soaking into the waistband of his BDU's. The cut must have been deeper than he thought. Staggering away from his two attackers, Sheppard tried to put some distance between them, realizing that escape at this point was not going to be easy. He was bleeding and barely able to cover his tracks, not to mention his vision which was starting to dance with black spots.

In the distance, shouts sounded through the trees, and Sheppard tried to move faster, spurred on by the imminent danger.

He didn't make it far before crashing to the ground, blackness descending swiftly.

* * *

_Author's Note: Apologies for the cliffie ... it had to be done at some point! I should be able to update more frequently these next few days, though. Hope you continue to enjoy!_


	7. Chapter 7

Jenar and Koti caught up with Faro and Gabe shortly after their life signs faded from the screen of the Genii's tracker. Blood covered the forest floor under Gabe's body from the gaping wounds in his neck, and Faro also lay with sightless eyes, his skull crushed from a tremendous blow to the temple.

"You think Sheppard did this?" Koti asked, closing Faro's eyes.

Jenar snorted. "Of course it was Sheppard. Find his tracks. He must be close."

They observed the scene carefully. It appeared the fight had taken some minutes, and it wasn't just the two soldiers who had suffered wounds. They found a blood trail leading away from the bodies which soon disappeared. Search as they might, they could not find the pilot. It was as if he had vanished entirely.

* * *

It was pleasantly warm, and the sharp ache in his side had dulled, stilled by the comforting cocoon that covered him. Sheppard lay still for a long time, slowly becoming aware of sounds and smells as he enjoyed the warmth. Despite the comfort, he felt tired, hungry and sore, and the hunger eventually drove him to open his eyes, taking in his surroundings.

He was lying on a low mattress covered in furs situated next to a crackling fireplace. The room he was in was bright and airy, with a low mud ceiling from which hung various dried spices and herbs. The sharp but pleasant smell of unfamiliar food wafted through the room, making his stomach growl ferociously. He could feel unfamiliar cloth covering his body and saw he was wearing a rough, long sleeved shirt and guessed the pants were the same.

By a window across the small room he could see a woman bent over some cloth, stitching as she hummed softly. The light falling into the window made her features hard to make out and Sheppard wondered what exactly had happened.

He remembered fighting with the Genii hunters and barely escaping from them, but could not recall actually getting away. He stiffened suddenly in alarm, causing his wound to stab at his side and an unwanted hiss passed his lips. What if the woman was a Genii as well?

She looked up sharply at his hiss of pain and dropped the cloth, hurrying to his side. As she approached, he could see a long, grey braid swinging at her back, and kind, gentle eyes in her leathery, wrinkled face.

"You are awake!" she exclaimed, kneeling at his side. "Do not try to move. The wound was deep and you will need plenty of rest."

"Where am I?" Sheppard croaked, realizing that his throat was parched.

"The Kulabii Forest in the Great Valley," the woman answered. "I am Renee. My husband, Gorav, found you in the forest while he was hunting and brought you here. What is your name?"

"Sheppard," the pilot managed to get out through gritted teeth. "John Sheppard." He had a sudden thought. "Were we followed?"

"My husband knows the forest well."

When she didn't elaborate, Sheppard felt that was answer enough. Hopefully there wouldn't be any Genii knocking on the door anytime soon. He tried to push himself up to sit against the wall and the woman pushed him back down with a firm hand.

"You are in no shape to be sitting up John Sheppard," she said sternly. "Would you like something to eat?"

Sheppard's eyes lit up, wondering when he had last eaten. "Yes ma'am."

Renee chuckled and turned away, taking a covered bowl that had been sitting by the fire and stirring its contents with a spoon.

"You are too thin!" she exclaimed. "Have you been in the forest long?"

"A few days," Sheppard replied.

"You cannot live on nuts alone, John Sheppard," Renee said. "We found those in your pockets." She held the bowl of steaming stew out to him and he took it, reveling in the warmth that emanated from the bowl as he took the spoon and sipped at the broth cautiously.

He had to conclude that it was the most wonderful soup he had ever eaten in his life and had to restrain himself from licking the bowl clean. As he ate, Renee had taken up her sewing and had settled at his side. He noticed the shirt she was mending was his black t-shirt.

When he finished, Renee took the bowl and looked seriously at him.

"The Genii are hunting you, aren't they?" she asked.

Sheppard hesitated, questions swirling through his mind. "Yes. They are."

"They tell us they only hunt criminals. Are you a criminal, John Sheppard?"

Sheppard grinned. "No ma'am. You can't believe everything the Genii tell you."

Renee smiled. "This is true. This is very true, John Sheppard. But if you were a criminal, there would be no hope for you. My husband is a kind-hearted man. He wanted to save you. I hesitated, because the Genii do cruel things to those who help the hunted."

Sheppard struggled to sit up again, "I should leave then. I don't want the Genii to find me here with you if that's what happens."

"No." She gently pushed him back down. "You are going nowhere. Stay, rest, and heal. When you are better, you may leave. For now you will stay."

Sheppard tried to protest, but the old lady would hear none of it. She pushed him back down onto the bed and practically tucked him in before returning to her sewing, her gentle humming, the warmth of the furs and a full belly lulling him quickly to sleep.

* * *

Sheppard woke, shivering and watching his breath mist in the cool air. For a moment he thought he was back in his tree, until he realized the darkness above him was not a canopy of leaves, but was a thatched roof with herbs hanging from its rafters. He looked to the side and saw the fire had died down to glowing embers. Outside, a cold moon had risen, and ...

Sheppard squinted, looking curiously at the whiteness drifting down past the window. Taking some effort to sit up and then swing his legs over to the cold floor, he stood on shaky legs and padded on bare feet over to the window, hugging his arms around himself and looking in wonder at the fluffy white flakes of snow that drifted lazily down to coat the ground.

He heard a shuffling noise from his right and turned to see an elderly man sitting in a chair in the shadows, looking out of the window.

"This is strange weather," the old man said. "We thought spring came too early this year. Looks like we were right. Frost will kill all the crops if anyone's been dumb enough to plant." He looked at Sheppard, a smile glinting his eyes.

Sheppard nodded politely. "You must be Gorav."

The man shook his finger at him. "You're good with names. I like that. You were a bit heavy for me to carry. I think I pulled a back muscle."

"Thank you ... for saving me."

"Anything to get you away from the Genii, young man."

Sheppard felt a violent shiver wrack his body and his teeth chattered.

"Go back to bed, son," Gorav said, gently. "You'll catch a cold."

Sheppard shuffled back to the bed, then said softly, "Good night."

"Good night, John Sheppard."

* * *

Sheppard did not feel well. He felt unbearably hot and terribly cold, alternating at times so fast that he was confused, pushing the covers away and pulling them back up. Hands were always tugging at the furs wrapped around him, pressing him back against the soft mattress. There was a constant fire and ache in his side, and the rough hands kept grabbing his wrists to keep him from pressing on the wound that was eating away at him.

He saw fire and snow and kind eyes and rough hands trying to shush him back to sleep. He dreamed of Atlantis burning and Teyla, McKay and Ronon giving up their search for him. He was grasping at Teyla as she turned her back on him when he woke with a gasp, feeling hands on his shoulders, pressing him back into the furs.

"Quiet lad, quiet! There's nothing there. Go back to sleep."

He tried to speak and realized his throat was too dry. He coughed, then managed to croak out, "What happened?"

"You've been very sick, John Sheppard. Very sick," Renee said, smoothing his hair back from his hot forehead and making him feel like a child.

"How ... how long have I been asleep?"

"It has been six days."

"Six days?" Sheppard suddenly felt sick, realizing he had lost so much time and not knowing where the Genii were.

"You have been delirious much of the time and I was afraid your fever would not break. You seem cooler today."

"I ... I need to go." He tried to sit up again but Renee easily pressed him back down onto the mattress.

"You aren't going anywhere. You are weak, still feverish, and you have not recovered from your wound." The tone of her voice reminded Sheppard of his mother, and he knew there was no arguing with her.

"The Genii —"

"Do not worry about the Genii. We have misled them. They do not suspect your presence here at all." She reached for the pitcher at her side and poured some water into a cup, holding it to his lips. "While you are awake, we need to get you to drink. It was difficult enough when you were delirious. Now you can help me out a bit."

Sheppard obligingly took the cup with a shaking hand, shocked at how weak he felt. He drained the water in seconds and handed the cup back to Renee.

"Do you think you could handle some soup?" she asked.

Sheppard thought for a moment. He didn't feel hungry, but he knew he needed to regain his strength, and it was doubtful that he had managed to down much sustenance while he was sick.

"I'll try," he replied.

The old woman beamed and immediately made her way over to the fire, ladling some soup from a cooking pot into a small wooden bowl and then handing it to Sheppard.

As soon as the food hit his stomach, Sheppard found that he was ravenous. He devoured the soup quickly, feeling quite satisfied after one bowl and realizing that his stomach had probably shrank.

"Now, lie back, lad," Renee said, taking the empty bowl from his hands and pulling the furs up over his shoulders. "You need to regain your strength. It's been a rough few days."

"Thank you," Sheppard said softly, starting to feel his eyes droop.

"We're just doing what we would like any stranger to do for us, John Sheppard," Renee said kindly. "Sleep now."

And sleep he did. This time, he dreamed of snow, whirling around him in beautiful fat flakes that melted when they hit his skin.


	8. Chapter 8

It took another week before Sheppard felt strong enough to walk around the small hut, and finally take his first few steps outside. The wound in his side was stubborn in healing, but with Renee's herbs and soup, he could feel himself returning to normal. It took a few days before she allowed him to eat solid food, and Gorav brought home various small animals that the old woman was a master at cooking. Sheppard had not eaten such good food since he was a first year cadet in the Air Force Academy.

Gorav was a quiet man. Unlike his wife, he preferred silent companionship, and Sheppard was happy to sit with the man outside in the fresh spring air, watching the flowers blooming after the sudden frost. Gorav took Sheppard hunting once the pilot was strong enough, and Sheppard learned the best way to trap jorats - a distant cousin of the groundhog - and how to find edible plants, herbs and berries.

One day, while the two men were lying lazily side by side at the top of a grassy knoll, watching some small deer-like creatures graze, Sheppard asked the question that had been burning in his mind since last encountering the Genii.

"Gorav, do you know if there's a Stargate on this planet?"

Gorav was silent for a few moments, chewing at a long piece of grass before throwing it away. "If you mean the Ring of the Ancients ... it is quite a journey from here. I know someone who has been there once. It took him two months walking." He looked Sheppard in the eye. "It is time for you to be leaving us?"

"Yes. I have to go back to my people," Sheppard replied. The thrill in his heart at hearing there was some escape from this planet raised his hopes. "You and Renee have been very kind to me, but I'm afraid the Genii will find me if I stay here much longer."

"I was very careful when I found you," Gorav said. "I'm not a boasting man, but no one can track me. I was the best hunter and tracker in the village where I come from. You are safe here."

"I appreciate that, but my people might be thinking I'm dead," Sheppard answered. "I need to get back home."

Gorav looked back down the hill at the deer, then pointed in the direction of the rising sun. "You will find the ring due east from here. You walk towards the morning sun. It is outside of this valley, across the stony desert, the Begadashii Mountains and through the tall forest. The trees there are tall and straight, not like these. Once you reach the tall forest, you will find an old stone path. That will lead you straight to the ring."

"Thank you," Sheppard replied gratefully, snagging a bit of sweet grass to chew. "I'll leave tomorrow."

"Renee will not be happy," the old man sighed.

"It's for the best." Sheppard looked down the hill and felt the thrill of hope rising.

"You remind her of our son."

The pilot looked at Gorav at the sudden comment. The sun sinking behind the trees started to cast a shadow over the man's face.

"The Genii killed him, four years ago. They took him away from the village, away from his wife and children. We don't know exactly what happened. We were told he had been killed but not why. They never gave us his body." The old man pushed himself to his feet. "You must be careful out there, John Sheppard. These Genii are ruthless. They will kill you if they find you."

"Believe me, I know," Sheppard said softly.

* * *

Renee fussed over Sheppard early the next morning. She had dressed him in sturdy trousers made of tanned hide, a vest and coat also made of hide, and had prepared a bag full of dried foods and a canteen of water. She folded a woolen blanket and added it to the bag, setting the gun and knives that Sheppard had been carrying on the table.

"It's a long journey, John Sheppard," she said, absently straightening the knives on the table then handing them to the pilot. "I hope you have enough food. Summer is coming. You should stay warm at night, but if you want another blanket, don't be afraid to ask."

"Renee, I'll be fine," Sheppard placed a hand on her shoulder, looking her in the eye. "I'm a soldier. I know how to survive."

"The Genii are still out there," she said gravely. "Gorav said he has seen them close by. They are still looking for you. We managed to hide you while you were sick when they knocked on our door, but it doesn't mean they won't try again."

"I'll be careful." Sheppard gave her his best lopsided grin. "They couldn't catch me before. I won't let them catch me now."

"And stay away from the villages," she said, brushing her hands on her dress as Sheppard tucked the knives into his belt. "You never know who will be Genii sympathizers."

Sheppard stepped outside the door, finding Gorav leaning against the fence surrounding the small compound. Renee stood in the doorway, wringing her hands nervously.

"Thank you both for your help," Sheppard said. "You have no idea how much I appreciate your kindness. When I get back home, I'll find a way to come back and visit."

"Go well, John Sheppard," Renee whispered.

Sheppard could see tears gathering in the old woman's eyes as she turned back inside the house. Gorav extended a hand to the pilot and echoed his wife's words. "Go well."

Sheppard gripped the man's hand and took a deep breath, the air smelling fresh and holding the promise of summer.

"Thank you, Gorav."

He turned into the forest and set his back on the old couple's house, heading east.

* * *

It took two days traveling east before Sheppard found the first sign of the Genii.

Two bodies lay shriveled and fly ridden on the forest floor, a single bullet in each man's head. He didn't think that Gorav had shot them as the man didn't own a gun. He wondered who would kill the two men before moving on more cautiously.

Twelve days later, he found signs of a large camp. It had long ago been abandoned and he was certain that the Genii had camped here for a time before moving on. He was disturbed at the other signs he had seen in the forest as he moved cautiously through the trees. Bushes and long grass were hacked down, looking as though the search for the pilot had turned into a thorough combing of the forest floor. He suspected that they did not know how badly he had been injured and perhaps Jenar had turned the search for a live man into one for a dead body.

The signs showed that the search had headed from the camp towards the valley, and he hoped that they were still heading away from him as he continued his trek towards the east.

Sheppard was still cautious, knowing enough not to let his guard down, even if he believed the search was heading away from him. Jenar was too smart to not have all his bases covered, and with the numbers of those hunting him around a hundred men, it was possible to have eyes in all corners.

The forest stretched ever onwards, and Sheppard managed to move quickly through the never ending trees, using his newfound knowledge from Gorav to find food, water and shelter. He found that he had adapted quickly to the planet's thin air and heavy gravity, and moved with a lighter step than when he had first arrived. The nights were cold and the days warm, and he was grateful for Renee's blanket. He wished several times that he had his sunglasses as the glare reduced his vision, despite the shade.

Moving quickly with a light, tireless stride, he covered many miles a day, hindered only by the fact that he was on high alert for any unnatural movement or sign of human life.

Fifteen days later, he was ambushed.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for your continued interest! I hope I continue to do the story justice. And apologies for the cliffie ... :-)_


	9. Chapter 9

Helo and Nika had combed the forest, looking for the Lantean for a month. Jenar's instructions had been clear. No one was to stop searching until Sheppard was found, dead or alive. Anyone found to be lazing around was shot on sight by the sadistic leader.

The assumption was that the pilot was dead. The amount of blood on the ground near where Faro and Gabe had injured the man indicated that unless he had help, the man's body must be rotting on the forest floor somewhere.

Luck was with them when they spotted the pilot near a stream in the forest. He was dressed in different clothes, the drab brown leather blending in with the shadows of the trees. His skin was darkened by the sun, and that unruly dark hair gave the man a feral look. He had a Genii weapon hooked in the crook of his arm and looked cautiously around him as he unclipped a canteen from his belt and knelt to fill his canteen at the edge of the stream rushing through a cove of young saplings.

The noise of the water hid the sound of Helo and Nika's approaching footsteps, and with a silent nod towards Nika, Helo leapt and plowed into the man, knocking them both into the cold water of the stream.

Sheppard was stronger than his wiry frame would imply, and after a short struggle, the two men separated. Sheppard was crouched in the water, arms spread and a dangerous look in his eye. The weapon he had carried had disappeared.

Nika stood on the bank of the stream, casually pointing his gun at Sheppard's head, feet spread as he lazily stroked the gun handle.

"Don't do anything stupid, Sheppard," Nika said.

"Desperate times," Sheppard snapped.

Helo could see the man was irritated he had not heard them approach. Frankly, he was surprised Sheppard had managed to hide from them for so long.

"Easy, Colonel," Nika held his hands up, letting the gun hang on its strap. "We just want to talk."

"That's what the last guys said," the pilot replied.

Whirling into motion, Sheppard scooped up a heavy branch that had floated near to him in the stream and slammed it into the side of Helo's head. Helo dropped to his backside in the shallow water, temporarily stunned. Nika barely had time to bring his weapon up as Sheppard surged out of the stream, deadly intent in his eyes.

Nika and Helo had been warned that Sheppard was dangerous. This was precisely the reason Jenar wanted his team to hunt the man. Sheppard knew when to fight dirty, and he was whip-smart when it came to tactics. Nika was ready for him, though, and managed to fire his weapon as Sheppard rushed towards him. The bullet caught the man in the shoulder, spinning him and dropping him to his knees. Sheppard didn't stop, however. He pushed back up and tackled Nika in the legs, bringing both of them to the ground as they wrestled over the weapon.

Sheppard managed to get a good grip on the weapon with one hand on the handle and one on the barrel, and pressed it down against Nika's throat, grim determination in his eyes. Nika did not doubt the man was going to kill him as he gasped for air.

He was saved only when Helo appeared behind Sheppard's shoulder, bashing the man in the side of the head with the discarded branch. Nika watched Sheppard's eyes glaze over, but his grip did not lessen until Helo slammed the branch into his head two more times. The Colonel broke his hold and sagged on top of Nika, disorientated. Helo grabbed the man's shoulder and flipped him onto the ground as Nika sat up, gasping for breath. Despite the head injury, Sheppard fought Helo tooth and nail, and Nika pushed his own injuries to the side to help his partner, grabbing a flailing arm and pinning the man to the ground. Both men managed to hold Sheppard down with their heavier weight. Nika was nearly sprawled on the ground, one knee hooked over Sheppard's hips and his hands gripping the man's shoulder and wrist. Helo had managed to grab Sheppard's other shoulder and wrist and they took a moment to catch their breath as the pilot bucked under them, desperate to escape.

"He was going to kill me," Nika said, hoarsely.

"I saw," Helo panted. He pressed into the man's shoulder, looking him in the eye. "Sheppard, you need to listen to me."

The thrashing head stilled as panicked eyes flickered towards Helo's face.

"We don't want to hurt you," Helo said. "If you force us, we will, but we just need you to listen to us."

Nika lifted his hand from Sheppard's shoulder to wipe the sweat from his eyes, and Sheppard surged to life under the two men, using the opportunity to kick out at Helo, catching the Genii in the side and causing his breath to expel from his lungs with a _whoosh_. Nika couldn't hold the pilot by himself, and Sheppard managed to scramble away on his hands and knees before pushing to his feet and racing away.

Nika cursed, picking up his weapon and dashing after the man. He could hear Helo close behind him, his breath wheezing in his chest.

"Stunner," Helo ordered breathlessly, and Nika gave him a quick nod, drawing the smaller weapon from his belt. It wasn't a standard Genii weapon. He and Helo had procured it at a small trading outpost on another world and it had been one of the best things he had ever invested in.

He kept running, dialing the settings on the weapon and trying to keep an eye on Sheppard who was rapidly drawing away from them through the trees. Damn, the man was fast.

"Shoot him!" Helo shouted.

Nika fired, once, twice, three times. The third time hit home. They saw Sheppard crash to the ground, the momentum flipping him over as he tumbled to the forest floor. The two hunters caught up with him seconds later. Helo slid to a halt next to the pilot's prone body, panting for breath as he checked the man over, making sure that he was unconscious before quickly drawing a rope from his belt.

"Help me tie him up," Helo said to Nika. "He obviously isn't going to listen to us. We're going to have to make him."

* * *

_Author's Note: Apologies for the last cliffie and this one ... I write them frequently, I'm afraid! I'm so glad you all seem to be enjoying the story so far!_


	10. Chapter 10

His limbs throbbed, every inch of him feeling like it was on pins and needles, like his whole body had somehow fallen asleep with the circulation cut off. There was a snapping sound in front of his face and he jerked his head up with a gasp, sight returning in a strange blur of colors and movement.

Sheppard blinked rapidly, trying to clear the haze from his eyes, and saw his captors crouched in front of him. Trying to move, he found that he was propped up against a tree, his arms tied behind him and his ankles bound in front of him.

"You awake?" the blond man asked, snapping his fingers in front of Sheppard's face again.

"Let me go," Sheppard growled, tugging at his bonds.

"I'm Helo," the man said. "This is Nika." He jerked a thumb back towards the smaller man who held a strange looking gun trained on the pilot. "We want to talk to you."

"Hell of a way to get a guy to listen," Sheppard snapped.

"You know you weren't going to sit there and wait for us to talk to you," Nika fired back.

"You don't trust us," Helo said. "We know that. We don't exactly trust you either, but we need you to listen. Jenar is going to be pretty mad at us, but we're hoping he doesn't find out."

Sheppard could feel the pins and needles subsiding, and with it, his head started to clear. What were these guys talking about?

"How much do you know about the Genii?" Helo asked.

"Enough to know that I avoid them like the plague when I see them," Sheppard growled.

"We know about you, Sheppard," Helo continued. "We know you killed a whole bunch of Koyla's men on Atlantis. Maybe they didn't deserve it, maybe they did. The important thing is, you're dangerous. Jenar knows it. He knows Koyla would do anything to get his hands on you. What you might not know is that Jenar and Koyla are supposed to be working together. Jenar doesn't like Koyla. He'd rather do things his own way. That's why he didn't tell Koyla about you."

"So what are you going to do about it?" Sheppard shifted, uneasy.

"Something else you might not know about is that we have an underground resistance. The Genii are unhappy with their leadership. There are several factions which would be happy to see our military commanders replaced." Helo glanced up at Nika. "I hope you understand this. We don't like you, but we need you to get to that Stargate, Sheppard. We need you to pass a message on for us."

"What kind of a message?"

"The resistance is alive and well in Jenar's army," Nika said. "We have an address. You don't have to go there yourself. We just need others to know. That's all."

Nika quickly scratched a gate address into the dirt near to Sheppard, let him study it, then quickly rubbed it out.

Sheppard looked at the hunters, suspicious. "Are there any more of you here?"

Helo shook his head. "Just Nika and me."

He pulled a knife from his boot and reached forward to cut the rope around Sheppard's ankles, tucking the spare length into his belt. "We're on your side. We want you to get through that gate. Jenar is a sadistic killer. He does not suffer fools or failures lightly. If you cross him or disappoint him in any way, he kills you himself. These training grounds have seen a lot of deaths, and not just of those we've hunted. The people of this planet are terrified of us. Most of the villagers would give you up in a heartbeat if it means their sons won't be taken."

"Some of these guys have had their entire family killed." Nika added.

As Helo reached for the ropes at Sheppard's wrists, there was a crackle of leaves crunching underfoot in the forest around them. Around a dozen men materialized from the underbrush, with Jenar striding forward in front of them.

"Gentlemen," Jenar said, nodding to Helo and Nika. "I see you've finally captured him."

Sheppard noted the immediate tension in Helo and Nika's shoulders as Helo turned to face his leader.

"We were just about to make the call, Jenar," Helo replied. "We just brought him down and wanted to make sure he was secure first."

Jenar circled the two men and knelt down next to Sheppard, who glared daggers at the man. "And a fine job you have done," Jenar said. "Untie him."

Helo cut the ropes at Sheppard's wrists and the pilot burst into motion, using the tree trunk to propel him forward and towards the thicker underbrush of the forest. He didn't make it far, however, before he was tackled to the ground by two of Jenar's men. An all out kicking and punching struggle ended with six men piled on top of the pilot, pinning him to the forest floor.

Jenar stood over Sheppard as the men rearranged themselves, each grabbing a limb. Sheppard fought like a wild animal, but eventually, they were able to pin him effectively to the point where he literally could not move.

Kneeling down beside the pilot, Jenar brushed Sheppard's unruly hair away from his flushed forehead. Sheppard cringed, not liking the feel of the man's fingers on his face.

"You are making this very hard on me, Colonel," Jenar said. "If you were willing, the hunt would stop now. You could join my men. You'd be a great asset."

"Never," Sheppard spat.

Jenar smiled. "I know you won't give in," he continued, reaching for something in the pouch at his belt. "It doesn't hurt to ask, but it does make this much more ... pleasurable."

He pulled a small metal disk from the pouch and held it up so it caught the light.

"This is a very clever device. We got it from some traders a few years back and I've been meaning to use it. I think I'll let it do the talking for me." He motioned to one of his men. "Hold his head."

Sheppard struggled, but there was no way for him to escape as an iron grip pressed his head back against the forest floor and locked him in place. Jenar pressed the metal disk against his right temple, and suddenly, Sheppard's world exploded in pain as a sharp spike drilled its way through his skull. All nerves alight, he felt the first tremors and suddenly his body was out of control, convulsing against the grip of the men restraining him. Sheppard wasn't even aware of the convulsions as his eyes rolled back and darkness faded his vision.

* * *

Jenar watched as the Atlantean convulsed violently under the grip of his men. He dialed down the remote at his belt, and gradually, the convulsions began to cease. A thin sheen of sweat covered the man's dark skin and his wild black hair stuck to his forehead. Jenar was pleased the device seemed to be working.

"That is the device making itself at home, Colonel," Jenar said, watching as the whites of the man's eyes flickered gradually to back to brown and the man's chest heaved for air under the weight of his captors.

"Some ... device ..." Sheppard gasped. His eyes were roving wildly and couldn't seem to focus, but Jenar could see the man was fighting for control.

"You've evaded us for long enough," Jenar continued. "I think it's time we made this a little more exciting. The device has a crude tracker in it. All of my men have had a similar one implanted so I know where they are at all times. This one does not pinpoint your location, but it lets me know when you are close by. Also, I can activate the connection to your nervous system anytime I like. It can cause you discomfort, pain, or even instigate convulsions. At worse, it can cause blackouts and death. Depending on the distance, it may be strong or weak. The further you are from us, the better for you. If we get close, I'm afraid you're a dead man, Sheppard. I also have a permanent activation which will affect you regardless of where you are on the planet. If you try to destroy the device, I'm afraid you'll be taking a bit of brain out with it. The only way you can remove it is with the right technology." He motioned to the men holding Sheppard. "Release him."

The men scrambled off of Sheppard and Jenar watched the lanky man twitch his fingers, slowly bringing his arms and legs closer to his body in a grimace of pain. He managed to roll to his side and shakily push himself to his knees before swaying drunkenly to his feet, his eyes still unfocused from pain.

"We will give you ten minutes to run, Sheppard. After that, the hunt begins, and I have a feeling you are going to be a very dead man. If you survive the first hour, we might spare your life a little longer, but you know that we can find you wherever you go now."

Sheppard staggered, beginning to back away, his gaze dark as he glared at Jenar.

"You're insane," he spat. "Hunting men like animals. What gives you the right?"

"I can do whatever I like," Jenar grinned. "You, however ..." he made a gesture, mock bowing towards the trees behind the pilot. "Your time is leaving you rapidly."

With one last look that threw daggers, Sheppard melted into the brush. Jenar was surprised by the man's abilities in the forest. He had managed to evade capture for far longer than any of his men and even himself had dared to guess, and he demonstrated that he knew the forest well enough to leave no trace as he disappeared into the underbrush. Jenar looked at his timekeeper.

"Ten minutes," he said to his men. "Then we pursue."

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to all for your continued reading and support. I hope this chapter answered a few of your questions. Of course, things can never be easy for Shep, can they? :-)_


	11. Chapter 11

As soon as Sheppard could, he turned and fled, racing blindly through the trees, hoping that the pine needles covering the forest floor would hide his trail. His limbs still felt rubbery from the device Jenar had implanted, but they gradually loosened as he ran and soon, he felt normal again. His shoulder throbbed from where he had been shot earlier. It appeared the bullet had passed straight through, but it still caused his right arm some stiffness. The adrenaline from the fight and the stunner's effects had hid the pain until now. As it only seemed to be bleeding sluggishly, Sheppard felt that he could afford to keep moving and not spare the time to bandage it.

He was sure that ten minutes had passed but continued running. This was no time to hide. If what Jenar had said was true, they'd be able to find him no matter where he hid. He ran faster than he had ever run before, racing through the trees, fueled by adrenaline. It was only when the trees began to thin into shorter, scrubbier bushes and he saw a white expanse beyond them that he realized he had reached the desert.

Cursing, he hesitated at the thin line of dry trees that stood at the edge of a rocky expanse. The desert looked as though it used to be a giant lake bed, strewn with boulders and large rocks. There wasn't much sand, and the rocks would provide some cover, but Sheppard knew he was in deep trouble. His capture only half an hour ago meant that he was now without weapons, food or water.

There were mountains in the distance, but Gorav had told him the desert would take five days to cross at a good pace. Daytime was no time to travel in a desert, and he knew that he could never cross without water.

To stay and find water, or go?

Sheppard struck out into the desert, picking his way among the rocks. They were going to find him anyway.

* * *

It was nearing noon, with a full sun overhead, when Sheppard heard his first sounds of pursuit. It had been nearly an hour since his capture. He had managed to keep to the shade, moving at an easy jog between the giant boulders, but knew that if he didn't find water by the end of the day, he was dead. His tongue was already dry and he had stopped sweating a half hour ago. Thirst was beginning to become an obsession, and the heavy gravity of the planet made his limbs feel thick and slow. His shoulder wound had stopped bleeding, but he was sure that it was partly what was contributing to his dehydration.

Dry scrambling a hundred meters behind him caused him to stumble under the cover of a boulder just before a shot rang out, ricocheting off of a rock near where he had been standing seconds before.

There was a wordless shout, then a man's head emerged from behind a boulder fifty meters away. The man leapt across the tops of the boulders effortlessly, with no need to hide. He knew Sheppard was unarmed, but Sheppard was desperate.

The man jumped down a few meters away from where Sheppard hid, knowing his prey was close.

The Genii only had to turn his head a fraction before Sheppard was on him, silent and deadly in his quest for the gun in the man's hand. There was a short struggle, with Sheppard wrenching the man to the ground, his arm around the man's throat as the Genii desperately tried to lift his gun. Sheppard hit the man's gun arm again and again with his free hand until he was forced to let go. Grimly wrestling the shorter man to the ground, Sheppard's knee pressed against the young man's chest and his hands locked around his throat. The man had grabbed his wrists, trying to pry Sheppard off of him in order to breathe, and Sheppard shook off his weakening grip to grab a nearby rock and slam it against the man's head. Once, twice, before he went still. For a fleeting moment, Sheppard thought about finishing the Genii off, but decided against it.

Moving swiftly, Sheppard disarmed the man, transferring the pouch of food and water at the man's belt to his own. He didn't have time to tie the man up. If there was one hunter, there were bound to be more close by. Over the past few weeks he had observed that the Genii mostly hunted in pairs, so this one's partner had to be close by.

Taking a quick swig of water from the stolen canteen, Sheppard slung the gun onto his back, tightened his belt, and ran.

* * *

The water wasn't going to be enough to last him the entire journey across the desert. Sheppard was a tall, lanky man, and the water his body required was less than average, but one canteen would only last him a day. Two days at a stretch, and with the heat, he would be delirious by the end of the second day and as good as dead. He was glad he had served in Afghanistan. The heat and desert training he had experienced there had more than prepared him for this flight across the alien landscape.

Sheppard had run through the long hot afternoon without encountering anyone else, sticking to low ground and keeping behind the large boulders. As dusk fell, he climbed to the top of one of the highest boulders nearest him and lay flat, looking back towards where he had come from. One gift he found in the pouch was a pair of what appeared to be binoculars. They had a long range, and he lay in the dying sunlight, scanning the horizon.

The landscape was beautiful, strewn boulders awash in red, bronze and deep yellow light. There was a lot of volcanic rock mixed among the gigantic boulders, as well as white crystals. He suspected that long ago this may have been a volcanic bed and the mountains he was heading for may have been ancient volcanos. Dry, thorny trees grew sporadically among the rocks. How they survived with no water, Sheppard did not know.

The shadows deepened as the sun sank below the horizon, and it was as the last dying light faded that Sheppard thought he saw movement. He focused intently for several minutes on the horizon, then was rewarded with the sight of two men's heads bobbing through the rocks. They were jogging, and he quickly swept the area around them, checking for any other signs of pursuit.

Seeing nothing else, he estimated they would be on him in less than ten minutes. Climbing down from the boulder, he moved quickly, laying down the rope that was in the stolen pouch and tying one end around a narrow stone, burying the length in the sand and then hiding behind a large boulder across the way. It was a crude trap and would only serve as a surprise, but it would give him an edge.

He heard them before he saw them. Heavy footfalls and panting breaths. Daring not to venture a look from his hiding place, Sheppard listened, estimating when they would be on him and then pulled the rope.

The men went down in a tangle of limbs and Sheppard was on them, swiftly kicking their guns away and stamping on the hand of the man who had managed to grab his weapon. He aimed the stolen gun at the them.

"Freeze, or I'll kill you!" he snarled.

One of the men froze. The other, who he had disarmed, threw himself at Sheppard. The pilot sidestepped him, flipping the man easily onto his back in one smooth move and stabbing the gun into his head. The man gasped for air like a fish out of water, the air knocked out of him.

Sheppard glared at the other man, who still lay looking a bit shell-shocked on the floor. "Move and I'll kill him," he threatened in a low voice.

Moving back slightly, he motioned to the wheezing hunter. "Move slowly. Keep your hands where I can see them. Take the rope out of your bag and tie him up."

The man did as he was told, tying his comrade as Sheppard instructed. Sheppard let the gun hang from his shoulder as he tied the man next to his comrade and then rechecked all their knots. Ripping some cloth from each of their shirts, he stuffed it in their mouths, fashioning a crude gag, before raiding their belongings and giving them each a swift pat down. He discovered five knives hidden on the men in varying sizes. Feeling a bit like Ronon, he dumped them all into the pouch at his waist, slung their canteens over his shoulder, and stuffed their food packets into the pouch as well. He slung both their guns onto his back to join the third and then swiftly turned and melted into the darkness.

He couldn't afford to sleep tonight. That was two men who were probably ahead of the pack, although if anyone was able to move more swiftly, it could be that there were even men in front of him now. He was sure Jenar would have ordered the men to spread out and comb the desert floor. It would be easy to get lost in the maze of boulders if you didn't have a general direction to head in. Sheppard at least knew that he was heading towards the rising sun. As far as he was aware, the Genii didn't know that he knew where the Stargate was and hoped that would slow their search.

Feeling burdened by the weapons he had accumulated, he fixed the bullet casings to his belt and buried the two guns under a rock, keeping only one. The knives he shoved into his boots, belt and right armguard. He had enough water to last him on his journey across the desert, but now he had to be more cautious and avoid being found.

He had not been moving for more than fifteen minutes when a pebble falling from the rocks above caused him to whirl, the gun snug against his left shoulder and he fell to one knee. He saw nothing, but the hairs on the back of his neck rose when he realized his mistake and didn't turn in time to meet his attacker.

A man's body slammed at him from out of the darkness, bowling them both over. Sheppard's arm was twisted in the gun's sling and for a brief second, he was thankful he hadn't tried to fire with his wounded arm.

They rolled across the sandy ground, grunting and panting as each tried to wrestle the other down. Sheppard saw the glint of a blade in the moonlight and was barely able to lift his wounded arm to grab the man's wrist before he could slam the knife into his chest. The hunter sat astride him, bearing down with the blade, deadly intent in his eyes.

"You killed my partner," the man breathed.

"I've killed a lot of guys," Sheppard retorted.

"Left him in the desert to die. Pretty cruel if you ask me," the man responded.

Sheppard gritted his teeth. "Don't ... tell _me _about cruel."

He brought a knee up and managed to hook his ankle around the man's neck, pulling the Genii off and twisting their positions in a judo move that Ford would have been proud of. Sheppard had a good hand on the knife as the tip pressed against the man's throat, but he was reluctant to finish him.

The flash of another blade in the man's free hand changed his mind. The man tried to draw another knife from his belt and stabbed it towards Sheppard's thigh. Miraculously, the blade missed and slid across the leather.

"I'm sorry," Sheppard said. And he threw his weight into the blade. Hot blood spurted up at him as he hit the jugular. He pulled the knife out and threw it away, staggering back in the sand.

For a moment, he watched the dark blood pooling in the white sand, then shook himself, picked up his gun, and ran.


	12. Chapter 12

Dawn broke, cool and refreshing with a warm wash of light as the sun cleared the horizon. Sheppard knew the day was going to be hot. Exhaustion was beginning to catch up with him. He cursed the heavy gravity and thin air of the planet. It made the going much tougher, and he was barely able to keep up the same pace as he had earlier in the night.

By noon, he knew he could go no further without rest. The hot desert wind had effectively been erasing his tracks behind him and he knew no one would be able to track him by physical means. He found a giant boulder with a shallow hollow deep under the rock and tucked himself inside, piling sand around the entrance so that he was entirely hidden and hoping that anyone with the tracking device wouldn't figure out exactly where he was until he had a chance to see them first. He lay the gun next to his head, his hand resting on top of it, ready to aim at a moment's notice.

It took a few moments for him to order his thoughts and calm his breathing. The fight or flight response put him entirely into soldier mode, and it just started to hit him how many men had died by his hands since Helo and Nika had found him. He wondered about the two rebels. Was there really a resistance within Jenar's ranks? Or was it a ploy, something to get him to send a message to someone that actually meant something entirely different? A trap? Where they messing with him, trying to give him hope when there was none?

He couldn't think anymore. Exhaustion took him into sleep quickly.

* * *

It felt as though he had only slept a few minutes when he was startled by the shuffle of footsteps outside of his hiding place. Sheppard slowly lifted his gun and ventured a look outside of the hollow, shifting silently onto his stomach.

Three men stood in the area, guns ready and alert. They had stopped and were scanning the boulders around them. Sheppard had a feeling they somehow knew he was close by and he would not be able to wait them out. Shifting the gun higher, he took aim, knowing his accuracy would be off by using his left hand. His right shoulder had stiffened so much he could barely lift it.

The first shot took out the man on the far right's kneecap, and he went screaming to the ground. The second shot missed, but the third managed to hit the second man in the thigh before Sheppard knew his cover was blown and rolled out of the hiding place in a wash of sand, coming to his knees with the gun tucked firmly against his left shoulder, aiming at the third man's heart. The only remaining man had a deadly glint in his eye as he pointed his own gun unwaveringly at Sheppard's head.

"We're not letting you go this time," the man said. "I'll bring Jenar your head myself."

It all happened in a split second.

Sheppard threw himself sideways, firing his own gun, as he saw the man's finger tighten on the trigger. It wasn't enough to stop the ferocious blow to his right shoulder that spun him back and slammed him against a rock with enough force to cause his breath to whoosh out of his lungs.

The man toppled, a bullet between his eyes.

His comrades, though wounded, scrambled for their own guns, cursing.

Sheppard gasped for breath, managing to raise his gun in his left hand, despite the deadened right arm.

"I'll kill you if I have to," he said through gritted teeth.

The man with the wounded thigh fired, and Sheppard ducked, the bullet winging the rock behind him, a wild shot.

Sheppard fired. The man fell. The other man was scrambling across the sand, reaching for his gun.

A third shot. The man went still.

Sheppard's chest heaved for air, and the deadened shoulder was beginning to throb with pain as he felt hot blood beginning to trickle down his chest. He checked the bullet wound. It was slightly lower than the one from yesterday, but the force of the blow had reopened the older wound.

Pushing himself painfully off of the rock, he swayed on his feet, then searched the bodies for anything valuable. Taking their water and food, he left the weapons.

Stumbling forward, he wrapped his shoulder as he walked, trying to stem the flow of blood. The gunshot had been clean, and hadn't appeared to have nicked any bones, exiting the back of his shoulder. If he kept both clean they should heal.

He set his back on the bodies and kept east, hoping he wouldn't encounter anyone else.

The next two days passed in strange delirium. Sheppard couldn't remember if he encountered more of Jenar's men and killed them or if it was all a dream. He staggered across the rocky desert, always heading towards the rising sun and the mountains which grew bigger with each passing day.

There was more life in the desert than there had appeared to be in the forest. Small, deer-like creatures stared at him curiously from thorny bushes, brown snakes buried themselves in the sand, lizards flickered across the rocks at his feet. Life was abundant, and if he was not injured and in so much pain he didn't even feel like eating, Sheppard knew there was enough to eat in the desert. He would survive.

The sun rose each day, hot and white and blinding. He was grateful his skin had darkened enough in the early summer days to keep from burning, but his eyes were suffering from the brilliance of the light. He managed to fashion a scarf which he wound around his head and eyes that managed to cut down some of the light.

The wounds in his shoulder hampered his progress, but he kept moving. Always moving towards the Stargate, spurred on by thoughts of home, of Atlantis, of friends which he was sure had not stopped looking for him.

There was still hope.

* * *

_Author's Note: I will be away this weekend so there will probably be no more updates until Sunday at earliest. I hope you can all hold out until then! I was going to make this an extra long chapter with a cliffie but thought that wouldn't be nice so it's shorter this time ... Apologies if that disappoints anyone!_


	13. Chapter 13

Jenar liked Sheppard. The man was a survivor, a tactician, a soldier. It was a pity he couldn't be persuaded to join the Genii. He watched the pilot's steady progress on his tracker as he followed at a distance across the desert. Even wounded, the man somehow doggedly kept going, his pace never wavering.

After not seeing Sheppard for over a month, he was surprised by how much the Atlantean had changed. He was thinner, more wiry, and his skin had darkened in the sun. His hair had been more wild, and even his eyes had changed, with a more feral and unpredictable look in them.

Sheppard wasn't going to negotiate anymore. Gone were the days where he would talk his way out of a situation. His men had reported that Sheppard was much more likely now to shoot first and ask questions later, and indeed, the frequency of dead Genii that had turned up was alarming.

Jenar was not happy with his men. They were allowing one man to get the better of them. This was good training for them, indeed, but he could only go so far before taking matters into his own hands.

Sheppard's days were numbered.

* * *

It took three more days to cross the desert. Sheppard estimated that the mountains at the edge of the desert would take over a week to cross. The going was difficult, with the air thinning even more as he ascended the mountain, and the gravity making Sheppard's body feel dull and heavy. The shoulder wounds took long to heal, and even after a week of travel, his shoulder still ached and was stiff with pain.

He encountered more of Jenar's men on his way. Some he had to kill. Some he left to their fate if they should be discovered by the other Genii. He never saw Helo or Nika and wondered if Jenar had found out about the rebels and had them executed.

All along, he fiddled with the device Jenar had attached to the side of his head. It was made out of light metal and he didn't notice it much, but it still bothered him that the device had a tracker in it and was somehow wired to his nervous system. When he pried at it one afternoon on the mountainside with a knife, he was wracked with instant convulsions that sent him immediately into unconsciousness. He woke to a star filled sky, realizing he had lost many hours, and resolved not to touch the device again until he reached the gate. It was best to leave it to Carson to figure out how to get rid of it. But it didn't ease his mind at all to know that Jenar had a form of control over him if he got close enough.

He had neared the top of the mountain in the late afternoon after five days of climbing, and exhausted, he missed the sound of shuffling pine needles under heavy tread. There was a crackling sound, and a massive energy spike stiffened his body as the tracker activated, his nerves screaming as he collapsed, twitching, to the ground. There were bodies around him, hands patting him down, turning him over, lifting him and tossing him over a broad shoulder. His gun was taken, but not his knives or bag. He felt himself dumped unceremoniously in what appeared to be a hover vehicle, which took off through the trees, heading up towards the top of the mountain he had been climbing. After a few moments, he was able to gather his wits about him, and opened his eyes. Immediately, there were hands on him, hoisting him up to sway drunkenly on the seat between two broad shouldered Genii who gripped his biceps to keep him still. The rocks flashed by in their quick ascent, and it took a few minutes for Sheppard's blurry vision to focus on his surroundings.

His captors said nothing, but when they reached the top of the mountain and the vehicle stopped, Sheppard saw Helo and Nika standing at the overhang of a large rock overlooking a breathtaking view. On one side was the desert, stretching away towards the horizon with brilliant white sand and scattered black rocks and thorny bushes. On the other side were great boulders, and the trees down the side of the mountain were scattered, thickening as they stretched further down into a lush green valley.

The two Genii on either side of the pilot hauled him out of the vehicle and dragged him over to Helo and Nika, pushing him down to his knees where he swayed, still trying to regain the feeling in his limbs.

"Apologies for the rough capture, Colonel," Nika said, shifting his gun to his side. "We had to make it look real so we could talk."

"Hell of a way to get a guy to talk," Sheppard spat. He was irritated. That was twice he'd been ambushed by the same guys. Even if Helo and Nika said they were the good guys, he still didn't trust them.

"We're trying to help you, Sheppard," Helo retorted. "We're a mixed group and we don't trust you. Very few of the Genii following Jenar are on our side. We just want you to understand that the message you get for us through the Stargate is very important. It can help us overthrow Jenar and Koyla."

"I got the message," Sheppard said. "You have a vehicle, now get me to the Stargate."

"We can't do that," Nika shook his head. "Too obvious. We have to stay alive, you know. We helped you by getting you to the top of the mountain. Jenar's been suspicious of us. We're going to do something now that you may not like, but in the long run it's going to help you. You just have to trust us."

"I trust you as far as I can throw you."

Helo laughed. "I'm sure. Here's the deal. We're going to let you go, but we have snipers positioned in the rocks along this ridge. Jenar thinks we're having sharpshooting lessons with you as our target. None of our guys are going to hit you, but you need to make this look real."

Without further ado, Helo motioned to the two Genii who had dragged Sheppard from the vehicle. They pulled him to his feet and escorted him to the edge of a steep hill. Sparse trees dotted the way down amongst large boulders.

"Remember the message, and remember that this is important," Nika murmured. "Right now, we need to put on a show for Jenar."

The escorts released Sheppard and stood back. Helo turned to the pilot and said in a loud voice, "We're giving you five minutes, then we start shooting. A head shot is twice the points. Understood?"

Sheppard didn't hesitate. He swung a right hook at Helo and disarmed the man in one smooth move, grabbing his gun and forcing him to the ground before taking off down the mountain, dodging through the rocks. He realized that Helo and Nika had given him strong hints. Although they had said the snipers wouldn't hit him, it didn't mean they might hit him by accident, and not all of the snipers were on the rebel's side.

He slipped and slid his way down through the boulders, trying to be quick, but trying to be careful as well. He couldn't afford to have a broken leg or arm at this stage of the game. Dust billowed up behind him as he made his way down, and he cursed the dry ground, knowing that it was giving away his position better than a tracker ever could.

A few minutes later, the shooting started. Bullets pinged off the rocks around him, and he could hear signs of pursuit above him. Adrenaline fueled him and he moved faster, desperation driving him forward.

True to Helo's word, none of the bullets hit him, but it didn't stop Sheppard from driving forward down the mountainside, lungs crying for air and muscles quivering in fatigue. He heard faint shouts from the men above him, but it appeared they were moving slower in their descent and soon, he had reached thicker forest and lost the sound of pursuit as darkness fell.

He ran down the mountainside, jogging well into the night.

For two days afterwards, Sheppard kept on the move, not stopping to eat or sleep. He couldn't afford capture again. Thankfully, the descent was not as long as the ascent, and it only took him four days to reach the bottom of the mountain.

At the foot of the mountains, another forest with tall, straight trees loomed. Sheppard traveled faster, knowing he was close to the gate.

In his haste, he didn't hear his attacker until it was too late.

Moving at a light jog, his body was suddenly wracked with convulsions, throwing him to the forest floor as his limbs jerked and flailed out of control. The worst part with the convulsions was losing the ability to see. Sheppard felt rough hands on him, then someone had straddled his chest, with cool metal pressed against his neck. He could feel the pain subsiding, and slowly with it, the convulsions. Panting for air, his vision returned in a blur, and he could see Jenar straddling his chest, a knife pressed firmly against his jugular.

"I was wondering when we would catch up, Colonel," Jenar said, a grin plastered on his face.

Sheppard felt extremely weak. The convulsions took a lot out of him, and he despaired, wondering if he was going to make it out of this one.

"You've done a good number on my men," the Genii continued. "You finally killed a few. I told them a long time ago that if they failed, they were dead. Looks like it pushed you as well. I knew you were capable of killing, Colonel. Koyla told me about all the men you killed on Atlantis. Cold-blooded, that was." He leaned closer, his breath smelling of rotten meat. "I knew you had it in you. You and I are both great warriors. We'd make quite a team."

Sheppard managed to find his voice, not attempting to hide his disgust at the man. "You and I could never work together."

"Precisely. Which is why I'm going to have to kill you now." Jenar leaned slightly on the knife, drawing blood. "I was going to tell you the last time we found you ... we found your friends, Gorav and Renee. They told you where the Stargate was, didn't they? That's where you've been heading this whole time." He sat back on his heels, relieving the pressure of the knife. "I'll have you know they were burned with their house. Couldn't even find their bones afterwards in the ashes, the fire was so hot. Following in the footsteps of their son, I'm afraid. We hunted him, you know. He survived a week before I killed him myself."

Anger fueled Sheppard's rage. With a wordless shout, he managed to bodily hurl Jenar off of his chest. The two men grappled on the ground, the knife flying away out of sight.

Sheppard rarely acted in anger. Now, he felt blinded by it, not thinking about what Jenar was doing, not anticipating moves correctly.

It cost him.

* * *

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for hanging in there over the weekend and many thanks for all your kind comments and reviews! Here is an extra long chapter for your patience! Now for the showdown ... :-)_


	14. Chapter 14

_"When anger rises, think of the consequences." — Confucius_

Blinded by rage, Sheppard felt the white hot pain of a knife in his side as Jenar produced a short blade from his boot, stabbing it directly into Sheppard's left side, paralyzing him with the pain. He hadn't seen it coming. He hadn't been thinking, throwing punches wildly, not thinking about what Jenar was doing with his free hand.

Sheppard choked, feeling sweat spring instantly to his brow, the pain intensely concentrated in his side and driving the strength from his limbs. His knees gave out, and Jenar followed him down to the ground, still holding the knife in his side.

"I've been looking forward to this for a long time," Jenar whispered. With one pull, the knife came loose with a sickening sucking sound. Sheppard couldn't hold back a small hiss of pain, his right hand reflexively going to his side. Jenar gripped the pilot's shoulder, pressing the tip of the bloody knife against the side of Sheppard's neck.

"Koyla would kill to get his hands on you right now," Jenar hissed, a manic look in his eyes. "I'll bring him your head and revel in the disappointment that he didn't get to kill you himself."

Sheppard flicked his right forearm, letting one of his knives in the armguard drop into his hand and moving quickly, he slashed upwards, opening a deep gash in the side of Jenar's face. Continuing the movement as the man was blinded by the spray of his own blood, Sheppard stabbed downwards into Jenar's chest, missing the heart by a hand's breadth, but quickly withdrawing and stabbing again.

Jenar fell back, Sheppard on top of him.

Despite the pain, Sheppard managed to drive the knife home with the second blow, throwing all of his weight into it.

The Genii stared at him, his eyes full of hatred and fear. Sheppard leaned into the knife, driving it deeper. Blood bubbled up in the man's throat as he gasped for his last breath.

Sheppard looked into his eyes, trembling with pain as he leaned on the knife. "That's for Gorav and Renee," he said. "You bastard."

Sheppard left the body untouched. He was delirious from pain and was unable to find the remote that Jenar had said controlled the device in his head. Wondering if it had fallen during the fight, he made a quick sweep of the area, but knew that the cause was lost when he heard voices in the distance.

Stumbling into the trees, he moved as quickly as possible with the wound. His left side was useless, his arm pressed against his ribs in an attempt to staunch the flow of blood. He was injured deep inside, and he did not know how bad it was.

Praying that the gate was near, he stumbled on into the night, listening intently for signs of pursuit. The death of Jenar, he hoped, would throw his men into confusion. Unless they had a strong leader to take over, he hoped that the hunt would be thrown off. Maybe it would be the chance Helo and Nika were looking for.

His hopes were dashed when not long after nightfall his body was thrown into convulsions. Barely in control of his actions, he clutched onto a tree trunk, gritting his teeth against the pain and desperately trying to cling to consciousness. Someone, somewhere, had found the remote.

Throughout the night, his body was wracked with convulsions. He couldn't move from the side of the tree. Every thought was occupied with attempting to stay conscious and quiet, despite the pain and inability of his body to control his limbs. Before dawn, the worst of the convulsions had seemed to pass, but he now shook and trembled violently, and he was sick and exhausted, barely able to find his feet as the sun rose.

Pressing on, he made his way as silently as he could through the trees, aware of the sounds of nature around him and listening intently for any sign of pursuit. The trembling of his body refused to quit, and the weakness from loss of blood caused his progress to be slow. It took him a long while to realize that he needed to do something to help staunch the flow of blood from his side.

He stopped, leaning against a tree and ripping the sleeves off of his tunic. Ripping the sleeves into long strips and tying them together was an awkward and painful process with shaking fingers, but he was eventually able to wrap the makeshift bandage around his torso. His side was soaked in blood and he was starting to feel light headed. He hoped the damage wasn't too great and knew that although he had lost a lot of blood, the wound had stopped bleeding as much as it had before.

He tried to drink and felt nauseous. Knowing he wouldn't be able to eat anything yet, he swallowed hard, trying to keep the precious liquid down as he moved on through the trees.

Eventually, he could go no further. Exhaustion was overwhelming him, and he was starting to doubt his sense of direction, wondering if he was walking in circles. He tried to keep going, knowing the Stargate was near, but his trembling legs refused to obey him.

Collapsing to the forest floor in agony, Sheppard lay amongst the roots of a great tree, trembling in pain and exhaustion. The last thing he remembered was watching the late afternoon sun shining through the leaves of the trees towering over him.

* * *

_Author's Note: I've had a few people asking me where the cover picture for this story came from. I actually took that picture near Isiolo in Kenya a few weeks ago as the sun was setting. I was visiting Samburu which is such a beautiful place with such diverse countryside. This is the more desert-like area which I imagine Sheppard must have made his way through at one point in the story._


	15. Chapter 15

_Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the kind comments and continued support. It's time for some answers!_

* * *

It had been over a month since Carter had called off the search for Lt. Colonel John Sheppard. They had been sure that the Genii had killed him, although when they revisited the planet where they had been ambushed, there had been no body. Only a bloodstained clearing which Carson had confirmed was John's blood.

Sheppard's team had taken his disappearance the hardest. Rodney had shared a video that John had made which brought most of them to tears. No one wanted to hold a memorial service. There was a certain denial in that. If there was no memorial service, there was still hope.

It took a long time for them to accept that Sheppard was indeed gone. They spent over a month searching some of the planets that they found in the memory bank of the DHD but could find no trace of the Genii they had encountered. Eventually, Carter was forced to call it quits, and declared Sheppard MIA, presumed dead.

Teyla, Ronon and McKay struggled with their team duties. Carter took them off duty for a few weeks, scheduling time with Heitmeyer. In a way, it helped. Teyla became more serene. Rodney was quieter. Ronon kept his anger, and sparring sessions with him were a risk for anyone involved - more so than usual. Lorne started taking over Sheppard's duties while they waited on the SGC to send them details for their new commanding military officer. Carter had petitioned for Lorne. He was a good man, and Sheppard would have wanted it that way.

Then, one day, they got a call from the Alpha site.

Carter called Rodney, Teyla and Ronon breathlessly over the radio, trying to stay calm, but was unable to hide her anxiety. The team rushed to the gateroom as ordered, finding Carson there with a medical team and the gate shining with light.

And Sheppard stepped through.

Rodney didn't recognize him at first. The spiky hair had grown more wild, his skin was darker, bare arms more sinewy, and his eyes had a feral, almost barbaric look that Rodney had never seen before. A two day shadow covered his jaw, spoiling the clean shaven look the Colonel normally possessed. He was dressed in leather, long boots to his knees, his arms wrapped in leather armguards, a gun slung on his back and a large knife shoved in his belt. Everything he took in at a glance. What horrified him was the blood. The man was covered in it.

He stood, swaying on the platform, the light from the gate behind him obscuring his features.

"Sheppard," McKay breathed, breaking the spell that seemed to descend over the room.

With that, the pilot collapsed, legs folding as he fell at the foot of the Stargate. The gate shut down and the room broke into chaos as Carson ordered his medical team forward. Teyla, Ronon, McKay and Carter rushed forward as well, trying not to crowd the doctor and his team, but desperate to see the man they had thought was dead.

Sheppard had fallen to his knees, hunched over, his arms pressed to his sides. Carson gently touched Sheppard's shoulder, getting his team to lift the man onto a stretcher. A sharp cry of agony at the movement almost caused the medical team to drop him. The man's muscles were trembling and blood soaked his clothes. A strange metallic device was attached to his temple, and Carson left it alone, pointing it out to his medical team. Someone immediately ran to prep the scanner in the medical bay.

"Oh God. Oh God, what is that?" McKay pointed at the strange device, feeling the urge to babble.

"Colonel, can you hear me?" Carson said, his hands gentle as he moved down the pilot's body, checking for any other injuries.

Sheppard moaned in reply, his eyes rolling back in his head. Carson couldn't get any response from him and directed his team towards the infirmary.

Doing a quick assessment on their way, Carson shooed Sheppard's team away from the bedside when they reached the infirmary. One of the nurses cut away the pilot's shirt revealing a thinner, more sinewy body than Carson remembered. Beginning at the pilot's head, he gently peeled back one of Sheppard's eyelids to find his eyes rolled back in his head. A scar on his temple revealed an old gunshot wound Carson had never seen before. He ignored the device on the side of his head for the moment, deciding to wait for the scanner before attempting to remove it.

Moving swiftly from Sheppard's head to his neck, he found various cuts and scratches against the tanned skin. Nothing too deep to worry about. Moving further down, he found two old gunshot wounds in his right shoulder. The flesh was inflamed although the wounds looked clean. The wound in Sheppard's side was what worried the doctor. The man had managed to wrap a makeshift bandage around his torso which Carson gently cut away to reveal a deep stab wound in Sheppard's left side. The nurses immediately began cleaning the wound while Carson checked the rest of the pilot over. There were deep bruises and lacerations all over the man's body. Some, Carson guessed, were from a knife. Others could have been scrapes from a fall. A fresh gunshot wound had grazed Sheppard's right thigh and soaked the leather through.

By the time he had finished his initial assessment, the scanner had been brought in and McKay was fretting over the device on Sheppard's head.

"I haven't seen anything like this before," McKay said. "Crude technology. I think we can remove it. Looks like it's gone right through his skull into the brain though. Attached to his nervous center. Actually, it might be tricky to remove."

"I can't just pull it off?" Carson asked. "What's it doing to him?"

McKay pursed his lips, shaking his head. "Looks like it's affecting his nerves somehow. It might explain the shaking."

Carson looked at Sheppard again. The fine trembling had not stopped, despite unconsciousness. There was no way he was going to be able to work on the man's wounds unless they were able to get him still. He was still worried about the stab wound in his side. It appeared to have nicked the man's kidney and the bleeding needed to be stopped immediately.

"I can't do surgery on him until that device is off," he said to McKay.

"On it."

Imminent danger always made Rodney McKay work better. He hooked a few wires from the device to his computer, entered a few commands and looked up grimly.

"If we try and pull it off, we'll kill him. I need you to shut everything down here, now."

"Why? What are you going to do?" Carson asked.

"I need to emit a small EM pulse. It might knock out your equipment. Turn it off now, and when I tell you, you can turn it back on again."

McKay dashed off while Carson and the nurses moved quickly around the room, shutting off equipment.

Teyla drifted closer to the Colonel's bedside, touching his bare arm as if to reassure herself that he really was there. She blinked back tears, wondering if they came from happiness or sorrow from not believing he was still alive. She squeezed his arm in reassurance, wondering what he had been through.

She felt Ronon at her side. The big man did something he rarely did, and reached down to touch Sheppard's arm next to Teyla's hand.

"He made it back," he said quietly. "After we thought he was dead."

"He did," Teyla agreed.

Ronon shifted from foot to foot, uncomfortable. "I ... I don't think I believed hard enough."

Teyla shook her head. "We should have kept searching. I did not believe that he had survived as well."

"McKay saw them shoot him. How did he survive?"

Teyla saw the scar on John's head and brushed the unruly hair away from his temple. "Perhaps his luck is greater than we realize."

"Or perhaps they wanted us to think he was dead," Ronon replied.

At that moment, Rodney bustled back to the bedside, a small machine in his hands. "Okay, Carson," he yelled.

The doctor appeared at the Colonel's side, placing both hands on either side of the man's head, ready to pull the device out.

"Is this going to affect more than the infirmary, Rodney?" Carter asked.

"No. This is a small, concentrated pulse," McKay said. "No need to shut down anything else. Things should be working again in five minutes." He made a few adjustments to the machine then looked at Carson. "Emitting pulse now."

The effect was immediate. Sheppard's body stiffened and the device at his temple emitted a high pitched whine. The trembling progressed into convulsions as Carson pried at the device.

"Hold him down!" the doctor yelled. Teyla, McKay and Ronon threw themselves on Sheppard's body, trying to keep him still while the doctor pulled at the device. It came free suddenly, leaving only a small pinprick of blood where it had been attached. The convulsions were slow to subside, but eventually, the Colonel was still. Carson immediately flicked a flashlight in the man's eyes, doing a quick assessment.

"Everything seems okay," he finally said. "We won't know for sure until he wakes up. We need to move him into surgery now."

Sheppard's team moved back, allowing Carson and the nurses to take over and move Sheppard into another room.

Curiosity was getting the better of them, but all they could do now was wait.


	16. Chapter 16

_Author's Note: Apologies for the delay in updating ... I found out I have malaria so have had to take a few days off from work. No worries, I'll be back on my feet in no time! Thanks for the continued support and wonderful reviews!_

* * *

He fought to understand reality. It was blurry and sounded and smelled different. The sounds of the forest were gone, replaced by voices and machines. The smell of pine needles and rich earth was replaced with antiseptic and sweat. The tall straight pines leading to freedom were gone. Fresh mountain air was dampened by artificial staleness.

It had taken him a long time to summon the strength to crawl from the sanctuary of the roots of the great tree. He wasn't sure how long he had lain there, trembling in pain and exhaustion. Perhaps it was a day. Perhaps more. But he found the tall pines and the path leading to the Stargate, and had nearly cried in joy when he saw the great ring.

He fought to get what he understood back. There were hands on him. Hands were dangerous. He lashed out, remembering the fight at the Stargate.

Twenty men were stationed there to keep him from escaping. Twenty men. He killed some of them. Maybe he killed them all. He couldn't remember. He knew it was a fight to the death, either way. Better to kill than be killed.

He fought the hands.

"_Colonel! Please stop fighting us!"_

No. He had to fight. Had to get through the Stargate.

"_Please, you're just making it worse."_

Making what worse? He was in agony. He couldn't possibly be worse. They kicked him. The stab wound in his side flared, paralyzing him with the pain. A gun fired, hitting him in the thigh. He couldn't walk. Was on his knees. Scrambling through a haze of red for his gun. Tackled to the side. Firing. The body across him going limp. Firing at another man. Desperately grabbing the DHD and pulling himself to his feet. Watching as blood splashed onto the symbols. Remembering an address with shaking fingers. The whoosh of the Stargate opening and obliterating three men. Stumbling through. Fighting the two men that made it through into the desert world with him. Stabbing one in the neck. A fine spray of blood hitting him in the face.

The hands were holding him down. He fought, looking for his knife.

The voices came from far away, their features obscured by dust and fear and a white hot sun blazing down on him.

"_John, please! Stop fighting!"_

A pool of blood. The other man tackling him to the sand. Hands scrabbling for a hold, finding his knife in his boot. Slashing, stabbing. More blood.

"_Please stop ..."_

And the Stargate was waiting.

He stepped through into blackness.

* * *

Carter called Rodney, Teyla, Ronon, Carson and Lorne to the meeting room. She had already contacted Stargate Command and now it was time to sort out the puzzle.

Lorne spoke first.

"You all know that the Colonel followed procedure. He gated to the Alpha site and that was when our men stationed there contacted us. They didn't believe it was him at first."

"What was his status when he came to the Alpha site?" Carter asked.

"Pretty much how you saw him when they brought him to Atlantis," Lorne responded. "The men moved quickly. He was pretty near to collapse and not very coherent. He was able to recite his name, rank and serial number, asked how his team was, then they brought him here."

"And the device?" Carson asked.

"I've been working on it," McKay said. "It looks like it was a crude tracker meant to link to his nervous system. It looks like it was activated remotely. It probably caused convulsions, like what we saw when we removed it, meant to disable him. I don't want to say it, but it's pretty much an archaic torture device. I'm not sure if there will be any residual effects yet."

Carson cursed softly.

"How is he?" Carter asked the doctor.

Carson shook his head. "The lad's been through a lot. From the state of him, it looks like he's been on the run for a long time. He's suffering some malnutrition. It looks like his diet has been primarily protein. Whatever happened before he got to the Alpha site, he went through quite a beating. Some of his internal organs were bruised and he had a couple gunshot wounds in his shoulder that look a few weeks old that got infected. I managed to stitch up the more recent stab and gunshot wounds and they look like they'll heal pretty nicely. He has a lot of old wounds that I haven't seen before. I think the scar on his temple may explain why Rodney thought he was dead. It looks like the Genii shot him in the head, but grazed his temple. It probably caused a pretty nasty concussion but I don't see any evidence of tissue scarring in the brain."

"Has he woken?" Teyla asked.

Carson looked uncomfortable. "He has." He hesitated, not sure about what he should share. "The Colonel has been through quite a bit of trauma. He's been delirious when he's awake. I don't think he's aware that he's back in Atlantis yet. When he wakes, he's violent. He's socked quite a few of my staff and nearly strangled Stephen the other day. I haven't been able to talk any reason into him yet. We'll just have to wait until the fever breaks and hope that he realizes what's going on."

"It's been five days, Carson," Carter reminded him gently.

"The infection worsened the day after surgery," the doctor replied. "We've been fighting to keep his temperature down and keep him calm so he can heal. He's made it difficult. I'm trying to avoid putting restraints on him as I'm not sure what the lad's been through."

"Ronon, Teyla, have you found anything on the planet the Colonel dialed in from to the Alpha site?" Carter asked.

"Found two bodies," Ronon said.

"There was evidence of a fight," Teyla said. "The men appeared to be Genii and were heavily armed. It was a desert planet and there was no evidence that Sheppard had been there long. We explored that planet four months ago and found nothing of significance."

"Sheppard dialed in from somewhere else in order to keep anyone from knowing the Alpha site address," McKay said. "I downloaded the DHD log so we might be able to figure out where he came from."

"We checked out the most recent logs and found where we think he came from," Lorne reported. "P43-981. It was ... it was a blood bath."

Carter raised an eyebrow.

"Eighteen Genii. All dead. Looks like Sheppard put up one hell of a fight. They didn't want him getting through that gate and they looked prepared to do anything to stop him. I've got some men searching the planet right now to see if there is any sign of civilization elsewhere. We obviously need to find out who was responsible for this and make sure it doesn't happen again."

There was a long silence around the table as the Major's words sank in.

"So now, we wait." Carter folded her arms, looking at the rest of the team.

"I cannot believe he is really back," Teyla admitted softly.

The others silently agreed. Happiness was stilled by the wondering. What had actually happened? How had they overlooked the evidence pointing to Sheppard being alive, and not dead?


	17. Chapter 17

_Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for the continued support. I hope you can stick with me to the end! A special mention and extra points to JoeyLuv, who seemed to anticipate very accurately this next scene! I think you read my mind ..._

* * *

Lorne, Ronon, Teyla, and four other teams set out to explore P43-981 shortly after Sheppard had returned. He was in no shape to be writing a report, and Carter wanted answers. Someone had assaulted her CO, and she wanted to know why.

Ronon was able to backtrack Sheppard's trail. It was difficult for the runner, and he commented several times that it didn't seem as though Sheppard wanted to be found, which furthered their suspicions that he had been hunted.

They found the body of the man who Teyla and Ronon remembered from the planet where they thought Sheppard had died. His body was about thirty kilometers from the gate and had already started to decay, but it was still easy to recognize the man who they had thought had killed their commanding officer and friend.

While Lorne's team followed Sheppard's trail on foot, other teams were searching the area by puddle jumper. They were able to cover more ground that way.

Teyla was shocked at how much death they encountered on the way. The brutality of each death cemented in each of Lorne's team members minds that their CO was not a man to be dealt with lightly.

"This was a massive hunt," Ronon remarked at one point.

"Looks like Sheppard gave them a run for their money," Lorne responded, nudging yet another body over onto its back. "You think they were hunting him for sport? It's ... it's inhumane."

"I agree," Teyla said, her anger kept in check as she pushed on through the mountains.

The jumpers had flown over a massive desert that they estimated might have taken a week to cross on foot, so they piled into one of the jumpers and took off, looking carefully at the desert floor for anymore clues. They saw a few more bodies before coming back to forestland that bordered a great valley. Lorne decided they needed to look for any signs of civilization before investigating further on foot.

The nearest village was deserted, and it looked as though its occupants had made a hasty exit. They found a few houses scattered in the vast valley bordered by beautiful cliffs. All the houses were burned to the ground and they found evidence of bodies inside.

Wherever the people of the planet went, they were in hiding and they weren't going to come out. Ronon's theory was that the original inhabitants weren't Genii, but perhaps the Genii had terrorized them and hunted them much like they had done with Sheppard.

After a few days more of searching the area, Lorne had seen enough and turned the jumpers home.

As soon as Lorne reported in, Carter contacted Ladon. It was a brief conversation, but it turned out that Ladon was aware of the man named Jenar and his elite group of fighters. They had originally been working for Koyla, which explained the sadistic behavior of the man. A few years ago, they had dropped off the radar and gone rogue. He promised he would look into what Jenar's men were doing on P43-981.

Carter was relieved to see the man barely holding back his anger at the news of Jenar and what he had done to Sheppard. She believed he truly did not know about Jenar's doings on P43-981 and wrote her next report to the SGC, telling them that despite how it may seem, their truce with Ladon was still intact.

As to what had actually happened to Sheppard, that report would have to wait. For now, the final piece of the puzzle lay with the Lt. Colonel. They wouldn't know the true story until he woke up and decided to tell it.

* * *

"So ... I can't even begin to describe how guilty I feel."

There was a sigh, and a slight shift at Sheppard's side as he became aware of the voice. There was a swallow, and the voice sounded thick, as though the speaker was trying to hold back tears.

"I told them I saw you get shot. I _saw _it. Just before they shoved me through the gate. I saw that Genii aim that gun at you. I saw him fire. I saw you fall. God ... how could I have believed it? We looked for you. We thought the Genii had taken your body. We talked to our contacts. No one knew anything. We ... I guess in the end ... we just ... We gave up." There was a long silence. "God ... Sheppard. I'm so sorry." There was another shift, as though the speaker had leaned forward. "You would have _never_ done that," the voice said fiercely. "Never. We don't leave anyone behind. But ... we left you. I don't know what else I can say. I can't say 'I'm sorry' enough."

Sheppard worked his tongue, trying to produce enough saliva to reassure the speaker it was okay.

"Sheppard?" There was movement at his side and the speaker shouted, "Guys! I think he's waking up!" More movement, breathless voices.

Sheppard tried to open his eyes. They felt thick and weighted down, but he blinked until the blurry images swam into view. A gentle touch at his wrist nearly had him recoiling in fear, but he was too exhausted to move. He flinched, and the hand withdrew. It took him a long while to recognize the faces in front of him.

"Hey guys," he whispered.

Teyla smiled, her face gentle. "We are glad to have you back, John."

Even Ronon was smiling. "Thought you were gone for good."

"Thought I was, too," Sheppard sighed. "What ... what happened?"

"We were hoping you'd be able to tell us that," Rodney said.

Carson was at his side, checking wires and tubes. "You don't need to be telling tales until you're feeling better, Colonel. Time to rest. It's good to see you."

"I'm ... I'm really ... back?" Sheppard was struggling to keep his eyes open.

Carter laid her hand on Sheppard's other arm. "Yes Colonel," she said, gently. "You're home."


	18. Epilogue

_Author's Note: Thank you so much to everyone who managed to stick with me to the end and expressed such enthusiastic interest in our dear Shep and the continuation of this story. It's finally finished! This would have never come into existence without the creativity of pilgrim_soul and "No Distance Left To Run," so thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to rescue Sheppard and bring him home! I hope you have all enjoyed the journey as much as I have!_

* * *

It took several weeks for Sheppard to fully recover. He had a few therapy sessions but talked absently about his time with the Genii. Carter was advised by the therapist not to press him for a written report, knowing that when he was ready, she would receive a military account of his time on P43-981. The man never got into personal details in his reports, and Carter resigned herself to the fact that they may never know exactly what happened to him. He would bottle up the personal details. That was just how he was. His team was aware that he had been hunted for two months by the sadistic Genii commander who had killed the only people that helped him, but he had not told them much else.

The Colonel had also wanted to pass on a message he had been given by members of a Genii resistance he encountered. He saw to it the message went to the proper gate address, but did not pursue it further.

A few times while he was recovering in the infirmary and when he was half asleep and confused from the drugs, he had asked Teyla where Helo and Nika were. When she asked him who they were later, he waved her off, saying that they had helped him a few times. Teyla had a feeling these men were somehow involved in the resistance or perhaps were one of the locals that Sheppard had encountered, but patiently waited until the man was ready to talk.

Ronon eventually revealed to Carter that Sheppard had told him Jenar had killed any of his men who failed to capture him. The manhunt was a desperate one as it wasn't just their honor the Genii were trying to protect. It appeared that Jenar's sadistic hold over his men held them in captive fear and their hunt for Sheppard was out of sheer desperation to save their lives and that of their families, as was later uncovered by Ladon.

Carson didn't want to leave the pilot alone while he recovered in the infirmary. Sheppard would often wake, delirious and unaware of his surroundings, lashing out at anyone who tried to touch him. It took a fair bit of effort by the patient doctor to finally get Sheppard to trust his friends enough to not flinch at a simple touch.

The pilot had lived in the wilderness so long that it also took a while for him to get used to sleeping in a bed again. Once his wounds started healing, he would lie awake for hours at night, shifting about on the bed, and finally falling asleep leaning against the hard wall, taking comfort in the sanctuary of having something at his back while he slept. Eventually, he was able to sleep through the night and awaken without feeling as though he needed to be on the move before someone found him.

He was sitting on a bench with Teyla, Ronon and Rodney on the dock of Atlantis one evening, watching the sun disappear over the horizon. He had his right leg in a brace and a crutch lay on the ground in Carson's attempt to make the Colonel keep weight off of the injury. Sheppard felt he was barely limping now, but carried the crutch to keep the doctor happy.

"I'm so sorry," Rodney said suddenly.

Sheppard jerked his head towards the scientist, surprised. "What?"

"I'm sorry. It was my fault. We should have looked harder. We gave up too soon."

Sheppard rolled his eyes. "The Genii made sure you thought I was dead. There's nothing to be sorry for."

"Just ... just stop it!" McKay's voice had gone higher, and Sheppard turned to the man, shocked to see his eyes red and angry tears beginning to form. Teyla and Ronon moved closer to the scientist in an unconscious act of support.

"We thought you were dead. _Knew _you were dead. I went and talked to your dad and your brother. Your brother wanted to have a memorial service. Thank God they didn't have it yet! And it was my fault, because _I'm_ the one who heard that gunshot. I believed you were gone."

Sheppard turned to face Rodney who glared at him, one tear unabashedly trickling down his face.

"I'm sorry, Rodney," he said softly. "If I could change things, I would."

Teyla wrapped an arm around the scientist's shoulders as he sniffed, wiping his face on his sleeve and making an attempt to dignify himself. He looked out at the setting sun, blinking rapidly, the sky awash with different shades of red, pink and orange.

"John is safe now," she said softly, then looked at Sheppard. "You are home. We are so very glad. We cannot begin to tell you how happy we are."

There was a long silence, then Ronon asked quietly, "What did they do to you?"

Sheppard shifted, looking out over the water at the sliver of sun that remained above the horizon. When he finally broke the silence, the words came slowly, with difficulty.

"The Genii commander ... his name was Jenar."

The tale was slow to start, and Sheppard wasn't the most eloquent storyteller, but when he finished, his team was sitting close, Teyla was holding his hand, and Ronon had gripped his uninjured shoulder solidly to show his support.

There was a long silence when he finished. The stars had appeared and there was no trace of the sun, just purple light on the horizon.

"I can't make any promises to you," Sheppard finally said. "I'll be there for you, as much as I can. I couldn't be there for you then, and I'm sorry."

"You did good," Ronon said gruffly.

"You did your best," McKay said. "We got home. We were safe."

"I know you guys are probably feeling guilty. You told me you were," Sheppard continued. "It's in the past. It's forgotten. There's no need to dwell on it. What's done is done. I'm home, and you guys ... you're safe. You took care of each other. And we're all still here. That's what I wanted."

They were simple words, but it was enough for all of them.

And they looked at the stars over the city.


End file.
